


I want you

by mechanicsofabrokenheart1



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-28
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-19 19:02:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/576603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechanicsofabrokenheart1/pseuds/mechanicsofabrokenheart1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma enters the station and finds Regina sitting on one of the desks. The desire for each other is stronger than ever yet they take their time. Regina's twin sister comes back in town and starts making preparations for when the curse is broken. The Mills' sisters need Emma Swan on their side. In italic is Emma's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters.**

I sit on one of the desks at the station. I don't know what I'm doing here, actually. I suppose I'm waiting for her. My right leg is over my left and I'm wearing black pantyhose, a black dress mid-thigh length, I'm covered with a grey coat **.**  My hands are squeezing the desk. I get nervous when I hear her approaching.

There she is. She froze because she saw me. Is she disgusted to see me? Or is she just stunned?

She parts her lips and starts to walk towards me, slowly. She's not speaking. There is no emotion on her pale face and it's killing me. She walks slowly enough for her curls to bounce and make my hands sweat **.**  The smile that appears on her face gives me chills all over my body. Her eyes stare precisely into mine and makes me want to push her against the wall.

Everything about her is perfect: those shining blonde curls that I so desire to touch, those little lips that make me obsess over how they might taste, those green eyes that penetrate my very soul without facing resistance. Her legs walk like they hold a rock star. Every time I walk in the room, I see her eyes become dark with arousal and I know that her nipples on her perfect breasts become hard with need.

And now she is so close to me that I can feel her breath on my face. She is forcing herself to breathe heavily only to torture me. She knows that she has that effect on me. I feel weakened by it. I`m powerless every time she gets close to me. My body starts to get excited and begins to respond to even her very presence and I can't stop it.

_I`m only inches away from her skin covered with black pantyhose. Can she be any hotter? She sits at one of the desks like she owns it, waiting for me to walk to her_ _and provoking me with her gaze._

_She`s staring at me, her lips are pursed in_ _that trademark smirk. Her eyes are on_ _fire,_ _wandering up and down my body. I feel like I`m about to combust._ _It`s so hot in here and wonder if she turned off the air-conditioner…nope!_ _The heat is coming from my own body._ _It starts_ _low, under my_ _belly,_ _moving upwards, tangling knots in my_ _stomach,_ _and _waking up the butterflies in there.__ _They_ _begin_ _to fly. It is moving further up_ _,_ _burning everything in its path and drying my mouth_ _and making_ _my_ _skin flush. I_ _feel_ _them burning._ _Well, my whole body is on fire!_

_I_ _put my fingers_ _on her right leg, just under the knee. The fingertips of my left hand barely touch the black fabric._ _The leg shivers and I smile at it _ **.**_   _My fingers__ _move up_ _in order to calm it down._ _I change the direction when I reach the leg`s_ _fold and run my fingers on the inner thighs until they are_ _stopped by the skirt's hem. I totally forgot the damn skirt._ _I let out a frustrated huff of air as I find out how difficult it can be to undress the mayor _ **.** I separate her left leg from her right gently, as far as the skirt will allow me,_   _in order__ _to make my way between her thighs. The fabric is taut to its utmost, cutting into the gentle_ _skin._

_I touch that spot under her knee again. Both of my hands run on the outer thighs of her legs._ _They reach the skirt and continue_ _upward_ _without hesitation _.__ _I stop, just before I feel whether Regina is wearing panties_ _or not. She sighs_ _loudly, trying_ _to release the pressure that`s building inside her._ _I pull my hands back, reaching the places behind her knees,pulling her body towards mine that both of her legs are on either side_ _of_ _my waist_ _._   _Our breasts touch for the first time and our moans collide, just inches from our lips_ _. _The_   _skirt is wrapped__ _around_ _her_ _pelvis and reveals red,_ _lace panties. The seam of her skirt tears under the_ _pressure, slightly. The skirt isn`t designed to be so high on the thigh._

_My knees are against the desk. My body won't allow me to let go of the woman in front of me_ _,_ _and I don`t want to.Our breathing becomes more rapid, causing our breasts to brush against one another's_ _even more than they already are._

Her grip is…stable: light touch, yet so strong and firm. I feel as though I can't move, but realize that I don't want to. She pulls me towards her, showing how much she wants me **.** Half of my ass is on the desk. My skirt is gathered high on my thighs. I wonder how it manages to stay whole under that pressure.

She stands still, gazing at me. She looks at my lips and then at my eyes. Her eyes seem to wander the room for a short minute, and she bites her lip in trepidation, but she pulls in me with such confidence. I suppose our sudden intimacy could have frightened her. The last time I saw this look was when Henry was buried in the mine, when I stepped in her personal space for the first time. The only difference is that now we are alone. Our bodies are not inches away, but fully pressed to one another, our faces only inches apart.

_"Fuck!"_ _I think as I look into her eyes._ _My heart is beating like crazy. I suppose it wants to crawl out of my chest and into hers. Why does she have this effect on me? Now that I have her so close to me, I don't know exactly what to do with her._

_I feel like a drug addict holding the drug. I know that if I take it, I`ll feel much better. I`ll be away from this world and lost in another where it's only me and her. Where no one else can see us._

_I press my lips to hers. They're so soft and respond to my kiss which feels so intimate. I wanna inhale her scent, I wanna know every centimeter of her body, I wanna feel every thrill I give her. This is new territory that needs to be explored. Our movements quickly become synchronized. Our tongues move together in a well-rehearsed dance. It causes my brain to short cut. She makes my body tremble as it does only during orgasm so, I wonder, what will I feel when she makes me come?_

She initiates the kiss. It's soft and slow. She doesn't want to be rejected, but the feeling is so good that I could never think of stopping. My whole body wants to feel her lips. Her hands grab my hips, making me slightly bend backwards, but our lips stay connected. A heat runs through my lips and touches every part of my body. The kiss goes on for what it feels like forever. I don`t wonder why, I just enjoy the feeling of the exchange of energy and feelings.

The desire for something else is building in me with powerful force. It makes my heart jump in my chest so hard it hurts. I know that until I take Emma for my own, I won't be satisfied. I tightly embrace her hips with my legs and unzip the red leather jacket.

She stops, looking at me questioningly. I send her one of my trim smiles and kiss her again, but this time with passion and rage, not leaving any room for doubt about what I want.

My hands move under the white tank top – her trade mark that drives me insane. They reach her bra and lightly massage the fabric. But I still want more. I want to feel the flesh that lies beneath. Her laboured breathing presses her breasts against my palms for only a moment and then they are away. I confidently catch the tank top and remove it. It lands somewhere on the station`s floor. She closes her eyes and kisses me again.

_I_ _close my eyes, feeling the heat radiate from her. I kiss her again, slow, exploring, knowing, wet, loud, passionate. I try to understand the attraction I have for her. Why do I sweat around her? Why do my thoughts drift towards her when_ _I'm alone? If Henry's right_ _,_ _then I'm the savior and I'm supposed to destroy her – the Evil Queen. I do wanna destroy her, but perhaps not in the way Henry is thinking. I wanna see her climax, breathless, sweating, heart-pounding and all of it because of_ _me._

_I feel all of that just from that kiss that lasted…God_ _knows how long. It`s so good, I don`t wanna leave this place, but I also want to feel her bare skin pressing against mine. I want to undress her and study her body with the tips of my fingers. I want to get rid of the mayor and meet the woman underneath the suit. I_ _want_ _to_ _see_ _her scattered, unable to think, with her hair messed up, without that damn red lipstick of hers._

I feel so weak with her. She conquers me with such an ease and I hate myself for it. The feelings that she`s awakening I thought were long dead. And I can`t seem to resist them.

Is this my punishment? I was supposed to have my happy endings here. And now this. I'm disgusted by myself. I was once Regina, the Queen, who ruled a kingdom all by herself. Now, I`m Regina, the Mayor, ruled by Emma Swan and her lips.

Suddenly, she stops. I shiver from the loss of her lips over mine. I try to see through her eyes and into her soul. My face is asking her why. And then I see it – the disgust mixed with repulsion. What on earth? Emma Swan is rejecting ME and looks at me like I'm some kind of garbage that she just touched. She even takes a step back. I can`t believe this is really happening. And again, I`m gazing straight into her eyes searching for an answer.

"No," _is all I can say. There is something about this_ _situation that`s not right. Yes, I want her, fuck, I really want her but…_

"No,"  _I whisper again. I`m so aroused that my mouth can`t seem to say anything else. So many feeling are hitting my body right now that I forgot why I rejected her in_ _the_ _first place. I take a step back, grabbing my neck with_ _my_ _hands that,just a second ago,_ _were on her hips. Her chest rising from heavy breathing reminds me why I stopped. All of this is just too quick._ _It's too rash. Out of_ _place._

"Not here!" _I say_.  _Not_ _here where we can be caught._ "Have you been with a woman before?" _What_ _the fuck? Where that come from?_

"Why does it matter?" _she asks huskily unable to hide her frustration._

"It does matter!" _it_ _always_ _matters to_ _me when I`m with a woman. With the men,_ _it was always just sex and_ _desire to get off. Nothing more._ _Not for me anyway. With women it was all about connection,_ _the_ _deep desire that turns you upside-down. I`ve never had sex with a woman,_ _I`ve always been making love_ _to them. It never felt like sex, until now._ _It feels like shallow desire rising from our eagerness to be with each other. It feels like scratching_ _an annoying_ _itch_ _._

"For me it matters! Regina, I..." –  _am falling in love with you! That`s the real reason I don`t want to do it! Fuck! Why, of all people, in you?_

"Every first time should be special! It`s not something that you just throw yourself into. The point is to remember it. My first time with a man...I was raped and Henry was conceived. My first time with a woman...one of my foster mothers... she liked to play with the girls in her home. I can`t forget that, but I want to. I want to erase it from my mind, but it`s stuck there. That`s why I want _this_ to be more than just..." _I trail off, remembering things past._

"Regina,"  _I began again,_ "you are the most amazing woman I ever met. That`s why I want this to be more! We can be so much more than two horny women who can`t endure the sexual tension between them and want to fuck each other wherever...I don`t wanna fuck you! I wanna make you feel what I feel towards you...and this, this is just lust! I feel so much more for you! It started with lust, like most of the other people I've been with, but it's grown into something much more beautiful: passion." _I can`t stop smiling while I talk about my feeling. They are so_ _wonderful, delightful and right. For the first_ _time, I have someone near me that feels right for_ _me. But saying to her that I`m falling for her is way too much right now. Maybe later._

"I wanna show you my passion,"  _I continue._

"Then why are you stopping?"

"Because-"

"That would happen if you wouldn't ha-"

"Yes! But as I said... I don't want this to be hasty. I want to take the time to know you, your body, it`s reactions, every inch of you."

"Oh!" I gasp. Really? She... she wants to know me? She wants to explore me. She is the first who wants this since Daniel. Although I practically begged him to make love to me, he was very noble about those things. But she...Emma...it's like she is from another planet. She is so cocky and yet so shy. She is tough and yet so tender. She is muscular but her touch is so soft it's feather-like.

"What are you suggesting we do then?" I say, my voice still deep from the arousal.

"Um... how about I take some food from Granny's and we'll have dinner at your house."

"Henry will be pleased!" is the first thing on my mind. Henry will be very happy to see her and spend time with her. So am I.

_She_ _opens_ _her mouth, wanting to say something, but I stop her with my finger on her mouth._

"But I will cook. You may be surprised at what I'm capable of in the kitchen, Miss Swan." My trademark smirk was back. 

"I wouldn't mind learning what it is exactly that you are capable of."  _I_ _say, returning the smirk. I_ _lean towards her and kiss her again.This time the kiss is light. A gentle touch that shows it all._

"Now go and do your duties so I can do mine." _I say it with_ _a_ _soft, trembling voice and childish smile. I know! Very corny, I know, but I can`t help it. I take my tank top from the floor and put it back on. The jacket I choose to leave on the chair`s back. When I turn towards_ _Regina_ _,_ _I see her standing, trying to collect herself from our make out session. I feel so proud. She cleans her lipstick with a wet tissue_ _which_ _she tosses in the garbage can._

"I`ll leave you to officiate, Sheriff!"  _a _nd she walks out with her sexy swagger.__

 


	2. Once more

The lasagna is ready. I have never been so neurotic. I cannot concentrate because of what happened earlier today.

I went to the Sheriff`s station fully acquainted with my feelings towards one particular blonde. I wanted to tell her how I feel. Admit that I, Regina Mills, the former Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest, am falling head over heels for the presumable Savior of the same land. I couldn`t just stand in the middle of the station. That would have been weird. That`s why I sat on one of the desks. I wanted to look more in control of the situation that I actually was. And when she entered, the words stuck in my throat and my plan flew out of the window. She came to me with an unreadable face and kissed me. Kissed me in a way I have never been kissed before. And I responded. My whole body was surrendering itself to her touches. That was until she pulled back, leaving me baffled and irritated from the loss of her warmth.

She said she really wanted me. At first I was angry at her for rejecting me. Then I thought she was joking. And in the end, I understood her. She was falling for me too. That`s why she wanted something more meaningful and not "hasty." We set up a date. Hence, the lasagna.

And now I need to go upstairs and get ready. I enter the bathroom and turn the shower on. Should I shave? I... I don`t know if I want to...damn it, I want but...how two women...are we going to have sex or make love? It`s not like the sex I used for controlling people. Isn`t it a bit early for making love? Hm...

"Show my passion to you," she said. Let`s call it that. But how do two women show their passion for each other? I realize that I didn`t know what to do if she hadn`t stopped. How do two women do it? I get how making out works. I get how undressing works. These are things that are not dependent on your partner. But...what comes after that?

I take a step forward, letting the water wash over my body. For a second, I`m focused on the feeling, but my thoughts go in another direction again. What happens after the two women are naked? Gods, I`ve never seen a woman naked. Except me. Emma has the same parts as me...but...

"Fuck!" I scream at my own ignorance. My eyes fall on the razor. "Regina, get a hold of yourself. You are the Evil Queen, for God sake."

I exit the shower and sit on the edge of my bed. I unwrap myself from my dressing gown and start applying lotion on my legs. After I`m done with that task, I walk to the closet to get the underwear that will match the dress that I`ll wear. Black lace is my choice. A mid-thigh length black dress with a triangle shaped low-cut that fits my body like a glove is combined with knee-high velvet boots. I debate whether I should put a jacket on, but the long sleeves don't require it. Besides, we are at home.

The next part of my preparation is the make-up. I settle on light mascara. Just as I finish it, I hear the doorbell.

"I`ll get it," Henry screams with excitement from his room. I hear his footsteps descending down the stairs. I spatter one of my perfumes two times behind my ears and exit the bedroom.

Let`s get on with it.

_Swan, calm the fuck down. Take a deep breath and press the doorbell. Now..._

_My right index finger stays millimeters from the metal bob and refuses to move. It`s been like this for five minutes. And the thundering heart in my chest doesn`t help at all._

_I haven`t been on a date since...it feels like forever actually. The last date I had with a woman was at some shitty bar in Boston and the woman had zero class. She was dry humping on me the whole time and we ended up doing it in the bathroom because we couldn`t wait to go somewhere more civil. Now, when I think of it, it wasn't a date at all. It was just quickie with a few drinks. I never saw that girl again._

_This situation is utterly different. I`m going on a date with the most beautiful, most irritating, most sexual woman I have the pleasure of knowing and making out with. I still feel her lips on mine. Damn...I don`t know how she does it, but every time I see her my eyes linger more than they should and I`m thankful that I`m not a guy because I would be walking with a boner around her like 90% of the time. My palms are sweaty and the wine bottle keeps slipping off my hand so I grab it with both of them. I hope she likes this kind of wine. It`s Cabernet Sauvignon according to the label._

_At look down at my outfit, a bit disappointed. Couldn`t I chose something more...different? Dark blue jeans tucked in black knee-high boots. Light blue shirt tucked in the jeans with my favorite red leather jacket. It`s very me, but since I`m going on a date with Regina Mills shouldn`t I wear something like...oh, fuck it! That`s too many questions. I can`t handle them._

_Finally, I press the button._

_Seconds later, Henry opens the door and welcomes me into the living room. He even takes my jacket and hangs it on the hanger by the door. I turn around, intending to go into the living room, but she emerges with all her glory before me at the last stair._

I come down the stairs slowly and gracefully until I spot her standing next to Henry who is hanging her jacket. She turns to me and I freeze. I give her the once-over from head to toe and my breath hitches when my eyes level with her cleavage. I have to force myself to look away and focus on moving towards her.

"Hi," she says with a shy smile. She looks like a sweet young girl and makes me want to hug her. But that`s for later, I hope.

"Hello, Ms. Swan," I hear myself answering. It sounded so formal. I do have a certain image to maintain, though. I am the Mayor and I have to behave in the proper way. I can`t be some lovesick school girl that gets all gushy when her...when the object of her desires comes into view. No, I can`t. Can`t I?

"Can we eat already? I`m starving." Henry breaks the spell that I`m under.

"Shall we?" I wave with my left hand, allowing them to go in the room before me.

Henry and Emma obey. My eyes slide over her back down to her butt. Damn those jeans! They are so tight that I can see the hem of her lady boxers.

She stands awkward next to the table shifting her weight from one leg to another while our boy takes his place on the right of my chair. My chair is looking directly at the front door.

_Regina gestures for me to sit at the chair on her left. Simple because Henry is already at the other one. So I sit when I am told._

"I hope you like it."  _I hand her the bottle of wine._

_For a moment, it felt like I forgot about it completely. Well...I did. But once I sat down, I remembered. She takes it and puts it in the middle of the table. At first, I thought that she didn`t like it. But then she grabs another bottle of red wine, it struck me that she has already selected the type. It`s not like she didn`t approve of my choice. It`s just that hers is open. Calm the fuck down._

_She fills mine and her glasses in half. I see how Henry is filling his with orange juice and how Regina`s right hand, the one that holds the bottle, presses her right boob. The latter seems to turn around to me with the nipple almost sneaking out of the bra. Fuuuck!_

_I grip the glass tightly and wait for Regina to take hers impatiently._

"To me having an "A" at my math test today." The boy`s voice echoes into my ears and I`m sure in Emma`s. I could see she was deep in thought a second ago.

"To you, Henry," we agree in unison.

The glasses clink, letting the date begin. Henry tells us all about his test. It is the final test before the summer vacation.

I can`t help but see how many features they have in common. The shape of his eyes, the way he smiles sideways, the dimples that form on both sides of his mouth. His skin is a bit darker than hers. He doesn`t have the freckles she has on between her breasts...Shit! Regina, stop gaping at her cleavage. Take a look at her eyes. They are waiting for you to say something. And the hand that squeezes mine confirms that.

"Are you feeling ok, Regina?" she asks me.

_Her chest is raising and falling rapidly and it`s a little red. It`s almost the same color as when we kiss. I`m glad I`m not the only one with naughty thoughts._

"Yes. I`m fine."  _She lies._  "I want you to try the lasagna. So you could know exactly what I`m capable of in the kitchen."

 _She smirks at me and then she cuts the lasagna. The first piece is for Henry who is so hungry that he starts eating right away. Regina and I lock eyes and chuckle at his reaction. The next piece is for me. She hands me my plate and her eyes gaze directly at me, sending a wave of arousal directly to my core. Shit. I swallow hard and grab the plate from her hand a bit eagerly_.

_The food is awesome. Apparently, Regina is very capable at the kitchen. I just wonder what these perfectly manicured hands could do in the bedroom department. How they would feel scratching over my skin? How would they feel skimming over my breasts, over my stomach, lower...damn! Breathe and don`t think about that._

_Bringing my eyes to her face, I can`t help but wonder what flavor her lipstick is. It`s red as her beloved apples but the taste…_

_Henry asks me about my work. I answer him gladly. It was a sleepy day except the hot make out session I had with Regina. I decided to leave the last part out. He doesn`t need to know something that we ourselves are not fully capable of describing yet. Filling papers is very boring according to the kid. I can`t help but smile at that._

_Then he asked Regina about her day at the office._

_I have never had anyone to question me about my day. It is strangely amazing much to my surprise. I have always thought that if someone asks me how my day has been I would shoot "Fine," and the conversation would be over. Really, why would anyone care about someone else`s work day? Because they care about you, the inner voice I never knew existed screams from the back of my head. So...Henry asked because he cares about me. And Regina cares too because she listened to me. It is the first for me to have two people that feel so right so close to me._

_It is true that Regina and I butted heads in every living moment, I cut her apple tree, we fought in front of her mausoleum. For me, everything was teasing right from the start. Maybe it was because I haven`t been teased like that in a very long time. I shake my head. It`s not that. Ever since the first time I laid my eyes, on her I felt a pull towards her. It was something I have never felt before. It was a tingling sensation running up and down my whole body. Truth be told, I thought I was about to combust every time she stepped into my personal space which was...a lot._

Emma talks about her day at the station which she has spent filling out paperwork. I hate paperwork too. It is the most dreadful part of our job, but someone has to do it. Henry, naturally, is not very impressed with it.

Her voice shows her nervousness. I feel relieved that I`m not the only one who is insecure about how the dinner should proceed. It`s kind of nice. It feels right.

Just as everything else feels ever since she has entered the town. I know that we have our fights and bickering and all of that but...everything feels right and at the right place for the first time in my life. Every look she gave me, every word she said to me felt right. When she lowered herself down into the shaft for Henry, when she saved my life from the fire...I felt edgy but also secure because she was there. I don`t know why her presence always makes my heart skip a beat, and at the same time I feel a pull to her. I want to get even closer to her.

And then Henry asks me about my day at work. I tell him as I sense her eyes burning through my skin. It`s not an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, it`s welcomed.

_Her day at the office was as dull as mine. Maybe even duller because she is stuck between those four walls whereas I can go out patrolling whenever I want. I eye her moving lips. I remember how just a few hours ago they moved in sync with mine. I can still feel her body press against mine and her legs trapping me between them._

"Henry, bedtime."  _Regina`s voice and the word "bedtime" catch my attention._

"Do I have to?"  _Like a typical kid he doesn`t want to. He wants to stay with the adults._

"Yes, you have to. You have to take a shower and go to bed because you have school tomorrow,"  _Regina instructs him although I`m sure he knows what he has to do._

"Fine,"  _he says dissatisfied. Seeing no other way he says "Goodnight" to both of us and heads upstairs._

"He is great kid. You did an amazing job with him,"  _I say as we start gathering the dishes and taking them to the kitchen._

"Thank you, Ms. Swan."  _She puts the dishes into the sink and turns to me. She waits for me to do the same before she reaches to me and takes my left hand with her right, leading me out of the kitchen and into the living room._

"Do you want another drink?"  _her mouth asks me, but her eyes have a different question swirling in them._

_I step towards her until my lips are pressed against hers with a little pressure._

"I want something else,"  _I murmur as my lips brush over her own._

_She brings her hand up, cupping the back of my head into her palm and connecting our mouths. The kiss is slow at first. Deliberately gaining speed. I run my finger along her torso until my hands reach her ass globes and squeeze them. The sound that escapes from her throat resonates to my core._

Once more I find myself in her arms. Once more I find myself drawn in her embrace, capturing lips with hers. Once more I find myself wrapping legs around her waist while she is pinning me against the wall at my living room. Once more her skillful tongue starts a battle with mine. Once more her arms are grabbing my ass squeezing it and sending shiver down to my core.

And that is until my sister burst into without thinking of knocking. We all freeze for a second and silence fills up the room. And then she starts laughing hysterically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you lovely readers, I suddenly was stricken by lightning...Nah, I`m just kidding. :P I have an idea for this story and more about Emma and Regina`s connection. It turned out that the connection is much deeper and it has something to do with the curse. Yes, there is a curse in this one but this curse is a bit different. I don`t know when the next update will be because Magic Incident has taken over my muse and my life but I promised there will be more to this story.
> 
> Again Emma`s POV is Italic.


	3. Family matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who followed this story.   
> Throughout the story you are going to see some of the scenes in the show here and they’re written in a way that will fit my story.   
> The end scene between Regina and her sister will probably raise tons of questions and I promise I`ll answer every one of them without spoiling anything. So feel free to PM me or leave them in review. Just keep in mind that every word, sentence is there for a reason. And everything will be revealed as the story progresses.  
> Enjoy, review or whatever your hearts desire!

I forget to breathe as my eyes go back and forth between my sister and Emma. I`m still trapped between the blonde`s body and the wall of my living room.

 

For a moment, a sense of déjà vu washes over me as I find myself in the stables all those years ago. I am in Daniel’s arms and Snow has just seen us. I knew that there would be severe consequences after that. And look at what happened.

 

And now...Reina saw me making out with Emma.     

 

“That...” my sister shakes her head while Emma detaches herself from me.

 

I straighten up and pull down the dress which was gathered up on my thighs. I gaze at the blonde. Her eyes are about to pop out of their places. I turn to my sister.

“I-I should go,” Emma says uncertainly and turns to walk away.

 

“No, Emma, stay.” I try to stop her by grabbing her arm.

 

“I...” _I gaze at Regina`s sister_. “Uh…” _is the only sound I can let out of my mouth which is wide open from surprise. I blink a few times, allowing the images to enter and go to my brain. I hope it can analyze them. Twin sister? They look so much alike._

 

“Hello, I`m Reina. I`m Regina`s sister.” _She takes my right hand in hers and shakes it. I just stand there like an idiot, but I`m not sure why. Is it because Regina has very hot twin sister or is it because I was twat-swatted?_

 

“I`m...Emma Swan. Regina`s Sheriff...I mean the town`s Sheriff,” _I stutter and when the words sink into my brain, I realized I`ve said gibberish. I feel a little relief when they laugh._

 

“Emma, my sister knows all about you,” _Regina says and I wonder what exactly she said to her. How much Reina knows about me?_

 

“Well...I can`t say the same about you. Sorry.” _I flash a shy smile at Reina._

 

“Don`t worry, we will have enough time to get to know each other because I am staying here.”

 

“Really?” _Regina asks with her eyebrows lifted almost to her hairline._

 

“Yes, Regina, I`m here for good.” _Reina`s voice is so cheery and her smile takes over her face. It`s like she is sharing the biggest and happiest of news_.

 

“I need a drink.” _Regina`s face is not showing happiness at all. Her lips are closed in a thin line and she goes to the cabinet that holds her alcohol._

 

“Great, me too.” _Her sister joins her and I stand in the middle of the room, feeling a little left out._

 

“I`m...going to go now. I`ll leave you two to catch up.” _I start walking backwards when the sisters turn in sync. I feel like I`m going to pass out. They are so gorgeous. I was just making out with one of them. I`m so horny and my core is aching for attention. And now there are two of them. I mean, I can barely manage to think in Regina`s presence, and now her sister is here, only serving to double the beauty in the room._

 

“Emma, are you feeling well? Why are you all red?” _Regina leaves her glass on the table next to me and comes even closer. Shit. She puts the back of her hand on my forehead. Oh, she wants to see if I have a temperature. I do have one, but it`s not there._

 

“No, no, no, I`m... fine. Really.” _I step back from this sexy as hell woman. I can’t be close to her right now with her sister watching my every move with those beautiful brown eyes... Stop it, Emma. You want Regina, not her sister._

 

“Please, Regina, I have to go. I`ll call you.” _I storm out of the house as fast as I can_.

 

_Once I shut the front door, I take a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. I start walking towards Mary’s apartment, silently thankful that I came without the Bug. Now I`ll have the time to cool off and think about what just happened._

_Regina has a twin sister that looks exactly like her. The same short, black hair. The same brown eyes that throw the same lustful and lingering looks at me. The same red, full lips with the same smirk. She was dressed in black leather pants tucked into black knee-high boots. The upper part of her body was clothed in a dark blue blouse with three buttons undone showing enough of her breasts to make my heart go wild._

_The strange and disturbing thing was that I felt like something is off with her. She may be Regina's sister but the aura she lets off is so different. She has the same exterior as Regina, but what is inside her couldn’t be any more opposite._

_Soon, I enter the complex where Mary’s apartment is and start to climb the stairs. Once I’m in front of the flat, I take out my keys and unlock the door._

 

“How was your date?” _MM`s voice creeps through the darkness._

“Fuck!” _My heart nearly jumps out of my chest. I place my right hand over it, trying to calm it down, as the other closes the door._

_Mary Margaret is lying down on the couch, her head resting on its arm so she could see when I came in. She is wrapped in a blanket and reading some book. She knows what happened in the station earlier. She isn’t happy._

 

“Shit. I forgot my jacket at Regina`s,” _I state and she starts laughing at me_. “Don`t laugh. It`s not funny at all.”

 

“Actually, it is.” _Once she pulls herself together, she stands up and turns to me_. “Let`s talk over a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon. I`ll make it.”

 

“Damn, you read my mind,” _I say._

 

_She walks over to the kitchen area and takes two mugs._

 

“I`m going upstairs to change in something more comfy.” _I climb the stairs leading to my bedroom, taking two steps at a time. When I enter my room, I reach to grab the collar of my jacket and realize, once again, that I don’t have one. It’s at Regina’s. How am I going to get it back? Will Regina come and give it to me? Or am I supposed to go there and pick it up myself?_

_I shrug my shoulders and begin to strip everything, leaving just the red boxers on. I grab a white tank top and a pair of my jogging pants. Yes, that`s very comfy._

 

_I head back downstairs and sit next to Mary, relaxing my body on the couch._

 

“So, was the date a total disaster or do you just look like it was for no reason?” _she asks and I sigh._

 

“Where should I start?” _I take a sip and the hot liquid burns my throat, but the burn from my desire for Regina is stronger._

 

“From the start would be nice.”

 

“Well...the dinner was kind of nice. I mean...we talked, we listened. It felt awesome. It felt...” _I drift of remembering the feeling and the warmth,_ “right.”

 

“Wow. And there was no fighting or anything like that?” _Mary asks after she takes two sips from her mug._

 

“Everything was great. We mostly talked about how our work was during the day, but it felt important; maybe because we have never talk about normal stuff. It was always either work related or arguing over Henry. And every time it ended with us fighting. But tonight...the small talk about the work day was significant. It was like getting to know another side of each other. We know we can stand up for ourselves. We know we can fight. We know we both want what`s best for Henry. And yet there is so much more. Now that we are...whatever this is...” _I pause for a second_. “We are dating. Yes, we are dating.” _I feel proud of this conclusion. And happy too. I`m very happy. I can`t stop grinning._

 

_I gaze at Mary and see that she does not share my joy._

 

“You know, I`m going to explore what is under those powerful suits.”

 

_Mary frowns at that._

 

“No, I didn`t meant it like that. I`ll...I want that, too. But I want to know her mind and body. I want all of her. Not just bits.”

 

“You sound like you are starting to fall in love with Regina,” _Mary whispers with her mouth hovering over the mug._

 

“I`m not starting, I am.” _The truth escapes before I can even process it in my mind. Shit. I am. Yes, I am. I am in love with Regina Mills. How the fuck did this happen? When? Where was I? Why I haven’t admitted it before? Does she feel the same?_

 

_Mary puts a hand on my knee and rubs it in a soothing manner._

 

“I`m glad that you are feeling this way, but it`s Regina and I`m afraid that she might hurt you. Are you sure that this isn`t just some big plan? A scheme? Because just yesterday, you told me that she framed me for Kathryn`s alleged murder. You told me that someone faked the DNA results. You know it’s Regina, but you have no proof. How are you sure that she isn’t trying to play you again to throw you off her tracks?” _Her voice sounds confident and firm for the first time since I`ve been here. She has never sounded so sure of what she is saying. Her words have never been so structured._

 

“And what made you change your opinion of her so quickly? Did you sleep with her?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then what is it? You just make out with her on your desk, and out of the blue, you are on her side?” _She shakes her head not understanding anything._

 

“Ok, let me explain it to you the best way I can.” _I put my mug on the table and hold my hands in the air like there is a ball between them._

 

“I have been with a lot of women. I know when a woman is interested in me. Regina was literally melting in my embrace. She was...” _I close my eyes and I was in the station again. I was trapped between Regina`s legs and I felt her muscles_... “quivering. I could feel her need for me which I’ve never felt from anyone before. Maybe there is a plan to put me on a leash, if you want to call it that...but her desire for me is as real as mine is for her. And it`s not the shallow desire of the flesh, Mary. It comes from deep inside.” _I put a hand over my heart subconsciously_. “I don`t know where from exactly, but it`s pulling me towards her and I can’t stop it. I don’t want to.”   

 

“I don’t understand it, but if that’s what you want, I can’t stop you. But promise me you’ll take your time before going too far with her.” _She sounds like a mother making sure her kid doesn’t get hurt, like the mother eagle watching over her eaglet._

 

“I was going to, but her sister walked in on us and...”

 

“Reina is in town?” _Mary’s eyes widen_.

 

 “Yeah, you know her?”

 

“Yes. She loves in New York, I believe. She isn’t around much.”

 

“Now she is back and she is staying.” _I say much to my dismay. I don’t like her at all_. “She saw us and started laughing. It was really strange.”

 

_Mary and I fall into an awkward silence for a few moments, drinking the rest of our chocolates._

_Why did she laugh? That woman is really off. There is something amiss in her._

 

“Maybe she laughed because you are a woman and Regina...Well, no one would’ve thought she’d be with a woman.”

 

“That is not something to laugh about,” _I state, offended by her words_. “I’m going to bed. Night.” _I go to the sink to wash my mug._

 

_She tries to stop me on my way to the stairs but she pulls back. I know she regrets her words, but I need to be alone now._

* * *

“What do you mean you are staying?” I snap at my sister. I am so pissed that she’s the reason Emma left.

 

“Is this part of some dirty plan of yours?” Reina is sitting on the couch with her drink in hand and looks at me.

 

“I don’t have a plan. Don’t change the subject.” I pace back and forth from one end of the couch to the next.

 

“Since when?” I stop and throw her a death glare. “Sit down. You’re making me sick; all this moving around so fast,” she says like this is the most natural satiation.

 

I sit across my sister and relax on the couch’s back. I stare at the TV in front of me. I can see our reflections on the black surface.

 

“This isn’t a plan...” my voice dies when I realize what I just said. It’s not a plan. It’s real. I feel something. For the first time since...

 

“Regina, what is going on? You don’t do things just on a whim. There’s always something that will benefit you.” Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I look at her and I see the Evil Queen with her stone cold face and piercing eyes.

 

I don’t know why, but my sister’s words feel like daggers in my heart. I want to control everything and everyone so I can be safe. But with Emma, I feel something that is out of my reach. I feel warmth that washes over me. I feel a pull towards her and I don’t want to let her go. With her, I feel safe.

 

“Maybe I just want to get laid,” I snap at my sister who gazes at me like I have three heads and snorts.

 

“If that’s the case, why did I feel electricity between the two of you when I entered the room? Why did you look like a lost puppy when she left?”

 

I throw a death glare at her, but I know it won’t work. Not with her. She waits for me to speak. I look at the wine glass before me and trace its edge. The cold glass is giving me some kind of comfort, even peace. Peace for me? I can’t have it. I doomed myself to never have anything positive from the moment I turned into the Evil Queen. From that moment on, I did only evil and horrifying things.

 

“Do you feel something that is...how do I say it...outside of the darkness?” Reina asks me quietly.   

 

That is exactly what I feel.

 

“No.” I know that she can help me. She is the one person that has never left my side. But I still can’t talk about Emma Swan.

 

“Is that so?” She knows me too well to believe me. “And here I thought that she, being the Savior, has to, you know, save you. You feel a pull towards her because she is a ray of light. She is the one that will break the curse and you can’t do anything to stop her. You can’t kill her, you can’t drive her away from the town. All of this is destined to happen.”

 

“So you are saying that I’m powerless against her?”

 

“Yes.” Reina nods before taking a sip of her glass.

 

I exhale loudly and throw my glass in the fireplace. I stand up abruptly and start pacing around the couch.

 

“I’m the Evil Queen. I can’t be powerless against some little, pathetic blonde.” I snarl and I wish I had magic now. I want to bring a few buildings down to ashes. God, I miss my old land.

 

“That`s my sister. But the only problem is that she is anything but pathetic. She has pure light magic because she is a product of True Love,” Reina continues to speak calmly.

 

“I know.” Nothing is pure, I say to myself. It’s light magic because, and only because, it is a product of True Love.

 

“Then you should take advantage of that.”

 

“What do you mean?” I sense some form of plan. Big plan. I sit next to Reina quickly.

 

“You know she is meant to break the curse. There is no escape from that.” I nod and she continues. “But what if...” she leans to me and whispers “...you have her on your side when that happens.”

 

I smile at her and she carries on with her plan.

 

“After the curse is broken, magic will come to this world. And you and I need a powerful ally against Rumple. He has always wanted to create True Love. He even tried by getting a hair from Snow and Charming.”

 

“You do know that if you want to hold True Love in your arms,” I stop for a second, “as a portion, you need both kind of magics – light and dark, don’t you?” I ask her not sure if she is playing dumb or just ranting.

 

“I know. That’s why he couldn`t do it.” She looks at the screen before us. “But we...” she wraps her left hand, the one not holding the wine glass, around my shoulder, “are going to have light magic on our side.”

 

“Yes, we are.” I agree with her and put my head on her shoulder. How I missed her by my side. 


	4. Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene with Reina and Jefferson is from Reina's POV. I figured we need to get into her mind a little and see what she is like. There will be more from her. Also, Jefferson is a little bit different from the one in the show.  
> Enjoy and review!

The clock shows 7:58. Two minutes before the Sheriff is supposed to walk through the door. Two minutes before her work day begins. I’m sitting on the same desk as yesterday because the chairs are...low. I’m the Evil Queen and I’m used to sitting high on a throne and not on some miserable chairs.

 

Today, I have a different reason for being here. I have to return the jacket she forgot at my house yesterday. I debated for long time whether I should come here or call her from the office. I even thought that I could invite her for dinner tonight, but then I remembered that Reina is here. No, Emma should stay away from her. For now.

 

_I walk into the station with coffee in my right hand and keys in my left when I see Regina sitting on the desk again in a dark blue, mid-thigh dress._

 

“Seriously?” _I step forward slowly without breaking eye contact with her._ “You haven’t noticed that we have chairs around here?”

 

_I put my coffee and keys on the desk that is nearest to the door. I move forward so I can lean on the desk and stretch out my legs, crossing them at the ankles. It takes all my willpower not to jump on her and tear that dress apart._

 

“I’m fond of this particular desk. It’s quite comfortable. You should try it sometime,” _she says with that low, seductive voice._

 

_When I think of it, she has always spoken to me with that voice. I had never seen it like a flirt until we kissed. Why is it that it took a kiss for us to see how we really felt about each other?_

 

“I did try it,” _I say in the same tone._ “And you are right. It’s really the perfect desk for a make out session.” _I smirk at her._

 

_Silence falls around us as I rub my hands on my thighs. They itch to grab her by the waist, but I...why I don’t go over to her?_

 

“You forgot your jacket.” _Regina breaks the silence and takes the jacket by the collar, passing it to me without moving from the desk._

_She wants me to go to her. Her eyes are calling me; her lips are slightly parted, just waiting for me. I feel the pull and my heartbeat quickens. I push myself away from the desk and take a step forward, walking over to the brunette. I grab the jacket._

 

“We need to slow down,” _she says, her voice barely a whisper. Loud enough for me to hear it, but also quiet enough to show me that she doesn’t really want it._

 

_I take that extra step forward that brings us face to face, noses almost touching. I immediately feel the heat from her. I lower the jacket to my side, but she doesn’t let it go. She licks her lips while her eyes hold my gaze._

 

“Why?” _I breathe out._

 

“I...I’m n-not ready,” _she stumbles over the lie._

 

“Really?” _I take a step back like someone has just thrown an ice water over me. The same chill runs down my spine. She lets go of the jacket._

 

''I...'' _She takes a moment to gather her thoughts_. ''Don't you think that there’s a reason why we didn't do it twice? The first time you stopped because you didn't want to rush it. Last night, my sister walked in on us. Well, now _I_ don't want to rush it. You were right. It feels rushed.''

 

_That's not all. There is something else she is not telling me._

 

''It's your sister, isn't it?'' _I ask, finally looking directly at her._ ''Because before her, you...''

 

''No, Emma.'' _She stops me_. ''It's me. I think that the reason we stopped twice is fate.'' _I stare her like she has three heads._ ''Don't you believe in fate? Don't you believe that everything happens for a reason? And if it doesn't happen, then it's not supposed to happen?''

 

''What...no. Are you fan of Henry's book? Coz that's all bullshit, Regina.'' _I lean on the desk behind me and leave the jacket there. Our eyes meet._ ''Henry's book is a bucket full of crap. There is no happy ending. There is no one and only True Love. Snow White, the Evil Queen, and all the others are just characters in some stupid book that feeds on children's imagination.''

 

So she doesn`t believe I exist. Nor her mother and her father.

 

''No one is so stupid to curse someone just because they think they might be prettier than they are,'' she says laughing at her own statement.

 

Well, at least she thinks I’m not stupid. I’m relieved.

 

“Are you even listening to me?'' Her voice brings me back to here and now.

 

''What if it's all true, Emma?''

 

''What the hell?” she says, clearly becoming agitated. “A second ago, we were talking about why you aren’t ready to take the next step with me and now we’re debating whether the Evil Queen exists or not. How the hell did that happen?'' She is upset. I suppose I can understand that.

 

''Emma, listen to me,'' her gaze wanders around the station. Everywhere but me. I might lose her completely if I don't give her a decent explanation. ''Look at me.'' I continue when her green eyes gaze into mine. ''Emma, I am not ready to go that far with you because I have never been with a woman before.''

 

''Okay,'' she says surprisingly kindly though her hands are still gripping the desk.

 

''What?'' I ask, not believing my ears.

 

“I’ll wait for you to hear the call of fate or whatever...but you have to tell me right now why. Because all you said so far is only partially true. There is something more. You are holding something back. Regina, you feel something about me and I feel the same way about you too.'' Emma tilts her head and smiles at me, melting my heart. But at the same time, I feel a stab from her words.   

 

''Regina, I’ve never felt this way before. I’ve never felt wanted like I do with you. I’ve had a lot of people in my bed, but the want I feel for you is beyond everything I’ve ever experienced.'' She pauses and my heart clenches.

 

''I...'' Emma continues. ''Last night at the dinner...it's the first time I felt like I was at right place at the right time. I felt right. I felt you close to me and it didn't scare me.” It’s the exact same way I feel. ''You feel right and close...'' her eyes start to water and I'm pretty sure mine will too, eventually. ''I used to be a 'hit and run.' But you changed that. Yesterday, you got me all hot, and now you are making me bothered. I don't get why, but it hurts me.''

 

The blonde comes to me and hovers. She looks at me with a firm gaze, demanding the truth. I swallow hard, trying to keep whatever this is inside of me. I fear that I might spill it out and end up losing her and this indescribable feeling I have for her. I don't want to lose it. I have lost enough. All I can tell her are half-truths. I hope it's enough for the time being.

 

''I haven't felt something so strong in a very long time. I have almost forgotten what it feels like to want someone that much.'' I hold her gaze that enters my soul with such an ease. It is so intense I feel afraid. Afraid that I might wake up from this dream.

 

There it is again, the need to be close to her. Her chest rises and falls in sync with my heartbeat. Why is it that all of a sudden we feel so much for each other?  Has it always been there and we were just blind? Was it that kiss that opened our eyes?

 

_Even through my watery gaze, I see the truth in her eyes. I hear the truth in her words._

 

''See. It wasn't so hard,'' _I say and give her a small kiss. It takes all my will power not to act on my feelings._

 

''I need to go to work now, Emma,'' _she says after clearing her throat._

 

''Ok. Go.'' _My eyes wander all over her face, drinking in her beauty. God, this woman is so gorgeous._

 

''But you are blocking my way, Ms. Swan,'' _she says with a teasing voice and I force my eyes to fall on hers_.

 

 _I step back from her and raise my hands in an “I give up” gesture_. ''You are free, Madame Mayor.'' _I can't help but grin at her while watching how she jumps off the desk and straightens her pose._

 

''Have a nice day, Sheriff,'' _she says and walks out of the office with her usual sexy swagger that makes my blood boil. Damn, this woman._

* * *

I press the bell on Jefferson's house. I haven't seen him in a while. Five months to be exact. Since the last time I was here.

 

After a while, he opens the door and runs his brown eyes over my body. He takes in my black heels, black trousers, and red blouse with three buttons undone until his eyes meet mine.

 

''Hi, Reina,'' he greets me with half a smile. He has always had the ability to distinguish me from Regina.

 

''I brought breakfast,'' I give him my best smile and hand him the bag from Granny's. I take a step forward to enter the house, but he doesn't so much as move a muscle.

 

''Why are you here?'' he asks, surprising me.

 

''Is this the way I deserve to be greeted?'' I'm offended, but before I can throw some clever remark at him, he grips my forearm and pulls me into the house.

 

After he shuts the door, he pushes me against the nearest wall and presses his body flush against mine. His lips capture mine in a passionate kiss that includes only lips. I toss the food bag in an unknown direction, locking my hands behind his head and wrapping my legs around him. He takes the hint and dips his tongue in my mouth, deepening the kiss while he carries me to his bedroom...

 

**An Hour Later**

 

''Mmm,'' I purr with my head rested on his chest. Our naked bodies are covered with silk sheets from the waist down. My right hand traces lazy circles on his left shoulder.

 

''Mmm...'' he confirms. We both giggle before his stomach calls out. ''I'm hungry.''

 

''Well, I dropped the bag downstairs.''

 

''And now I have to go and get it?'' He and I both know that this is a rhetorical question. He frees himself from my embrace and the sheets. Once he is up on his feet, he starts looking around for his boxers.

 

''I believe what you are looking for is next to the door,'' I say, deciding to help him. Although, I don't mind him walking around naked.

 

He puts them on and leaves without turning to me. For a second, I feel a little guilty for leaving Storybrooke and him. But this way, the reunions are much sweeter. I sit on the bed with my back pressed to the headboard when he returns with the two French breakfasts in plates and with forks. Such a gentleman.

 

''Here you go.'' He hands me one of the plates and I wait for him to take his place next to me. ''Enjoy your breakfast,'' he says finally.

 

Each of the plates contains a croissant with jam, black coffee in a Styrofoam cup, and a cup of strawberry yogurt. Some things never change regardless of time.

 

We eat in silence, occasionally throwing each other glares. This feels like back home. Like in the Enchanted Forest when we used to wake up next to each other on an almost regular basis.

 

''How long are you going to stay this time?'' he asks, not bothering to cover his desperation while he chews his croissant.

 

I turn my head to him, ''I'm here for good, Jefferson.'' Silence blankets the room again. I know he has tons of question circling in his mind right now. I should clear the fog a little, right? I take a sip of my coffee. ''The curse is going to break soon, so I have to stay.''

 

''Is that so?'' His mouth is full of food. I can see that he’s hurt. Most likely because he isn’t the reason I’m staying.

 

''Yes. Regina and I need to make some final preparations.'' I take a bite from the croissant.

 

''I thought she didn't want the curse to be broken,'' he says as he turns to me.

 

''She doesn't, but it's already written...''

 

''By Rumple. He made all of this.''

 

''No,'' I snap at him. Sometimes he can be very dumb. ''All of this is predestined to happen. Rumple just took it from Blue and gave it Regina.''

 

''Just...just like that he played with Regina's life so she could become the monster he needed for enacting the curse.''

 

I glance at Jefferson. If I had known that Rumple had meddled in her life, I would have done something to stop him.

 

''We need to get Emma Swan on our side. Regina will take care of that.'' I steer the conversation in another direction.

 

''Well, I wonder how that will happen. Last time I checked, they hate each other.''

 

''Regina will seduce her.'' I state a-matter-of-factly. Like it's easy. Like it's all business.

 

''And since when does she like women?''  

 

''You don't need to like someone to sleep with them.'' I shake my head.

 

''You did so much to protect her from going on the other side...''

 

''But I failed, Jefferson...I failed.''

 

''And yet you are forcing her to do something she doesn't want to.''

 

''Oh, she wants it. She wants Emma Swan.'' Seeing his puzzled, face I continue. ''Last night, I saw them making out. If I hadn't interrupted them, they would have had sex.''

 

''Wow. That's...'' he loses his words.  

 

''Yes, Jeff.''

 

''It's Jefferson.''

 

''Oh, come on. We’ve been sleeping together for a pretty long time. I think pet names are in order.'' I get up from the bed and start searching for my underwear.

 

''This is not a relationship. It's just blowing off some steam.''

 

''Really?'' I ask, putting on my undies. ''And here I thought that the purple hat you made me was a romantic gesture.'' I grab my bra and put it on.

 

''You are the real Evil Queen,'' I throw Jefferson a death glare. I really hate his labels. But his next words hurt even more. ''You don't do romance.”

 

 _Yet here we are_ , I acknowledge unwillingly to myself.

 

''Wow. The fake Evil Queen does romance with Emma Swan?'' I question him using his labels. He is so into this romance stuff. I don't want to crush his dreams that I can ever return his feelings. I just can't. I want to, but I can't.

 

''I don't know,'' he throws his manly hands up in surrender and looks at me like a lost puppy. He wants me to say otherwise. To say that all of this, whatever is between us, is real. That it is not “blowing off steam.”

 

''And the hat was a 'thank you'.'' Jefferson clarifies. Like I didn't know already.

 

''For taking you out of Wonderland after Regina left you there?''

 

Silence envelops the room until I am completely dressed.

 

''Are you in a hurry?'' Jefferson asks from behind my back. I feel him getting closer to me, pleading me to stay.

 

I turn to face him and look into his brown eyes.

 

''I have meeting to attend,'' I answer him truthfully. He smiles at me and I kiss him goodbye. 

* * *

_I walk back in the station and I stop when I see Regina sitting on the same desk from earlier today. She is dressed in a mid-thigh, black dress covered with a grey coat. She changed her outfit?_

_I look straight at her. Does she have a job to do?_

“Congratulations, Sheriff Swan,” _she says to me with her mayoral voice and I knit my eyebrows_. “There is about to be a big break in your case,” _she lifts her head high and I shake my head_.

 

 _What the hell is going on here? She takes a deep breath and says_ , “You just got yourself a confession.” _Seriously?_

 

“But I want you to listen to the whole explanation, so you understand,” _she slips off the desk and cross her arms in front of her chest,_ “why this happened.”

 

“Oh, I’ll hang on every word you say.” _I don’t have a fucking clue what is going on here. Is she going to confess to me that she framed Mary Margaret?_

 

“Sydney?” _she calls out before I can react._ “You can come in now.” _I stare at her dumbfounded while she gazes at the floor._

_I hear footsteps approaching and turn around to the source. Sydney comes out from the staircase looking guilty as hell. Like he is being called into the principal`s office._

 

“Tell her what you told me,” _Regina says_.

 

“It was me.” _He gulps_. “I confess. I abducted Kathryn and held her in the basement of an abandoned summer home by the lake.”

 

_I lean my head forward. What the actual fuck?_

 

“I bribed a lab tech to get me the heart from the hospital,” _I glare Regina_. “And I used the same person to doctor the lab results.”

 

“And the other thing,” _she encourages him_.

 

“I b-borrowed some skeleton keys from Regina and...I planted the knife in your apartment.”

 

“My keys,” _she says_. “Can’t help but feel personally violated about that part.”

 

 _I throw my jacket and keys on the desk,_ “I’m supposed to believe you did this why, now?”

 

“I was gonna find her after the conviction, be a hero, then get the inside track on the biggest story to ever hit this town.” _Bullshit, I scream in my head._ “I’d get my job back. Plus a novel and a movie, and I don’t know. It sounds crazy now.”

 

“I don’t know about crazy,” _I say stepping towards him._ “But false, yes. False as hell.”

 

“I have maps to where the house is. You’ll find chains in the basement, lots of fingerprints, I’m sure...hers and mine. But I _didn’t_ hurt her.”

 

“The man has obviously suffered some kind of mental break.” _Regina’s voice is closer to me now. She is standing almost next to me._

_Sydney’s eyes avoid us._

 

“He clearly hasn’t been himself in a while.”

 

“Yeah. It`s like his words aren’t his at all.” _All of it is one big fat lie._

 

“Wow. You are so sold on your own rush to judgment that you can’t see the truth anymore.” _Regina turns to me._

 

“A word in a hallway, please.” _I want to scream at her but I compose myself. I exit the room and she follows seconds later._

 

_I pace back and forth in the hallway with my hands in my front pockets. Fuck. I`m so stupid. All of what happened between us in the last two day is manipulation. She was hoping to distract me and she has succeeded. She wanted to seduce me so I can`t back off from the case. Just enough for her to cover her tracks. Fuck, Swan._

 

_She walks to me with more swagger than needed but I guess it feels too damn good when you win._

 

“Well, that was the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard,” _I say while we walk towards each other._

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true,” _she responds. Damn, this woman and her pretty lips that have no problem telling a lie._

 

“That poor man. I know you are all behind all of this.” _It breaks my heart but it’s the truth._ “I understand that you own the game and you’ve set the board so no one else can win,” _she lifts her chin up proudly as I continue_. “But I am about to start playing an entirely different game.”

 

 _I take three steps towards her,_ “I don’t care what happens to you. I don’t care what happens to me...” _I stop inches from her. For a second there, I wonder why I don’t feel the pull towards her but I dismiss the thought quickly._ “All I care about is what happens to my kid,” _her face is completely emotionless I think I hear my heart breaking._ “And you are going to leave him alone.”

 

“Am I?” _The way she whispers it make it sounds like she is saying my name. Yep, my heart is definitely breaking._

 

“Uh-uh. I’m talking.” _I cut her off._ “You are sociopath, lady.” _Her winning smirk is driving me crazy. Why did I fall in love with her?_ “You tried to take away someone that I love, and now...I`m gonna take away someone you love.” _I flash a fake smile at her._

_If she wants to play like a cold hearted bitch here I`ll gladly play the same way. Coz she has no idea what I`m capable of._

 

“I am taking back _my_ son.” 


	5. Locked hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dears. The first scene is in Regina's POV. But the second is in third POV because it's a talk between Reina and Blue. Tell me what do you think...Should I continue with changing POVs or stick with third POV? I could go back to two POV in one scene only when Regina and Emma are involved.
> 
> There was a little mistake in chapter 4 'Games'. Rumple didn't make the curse. He took it from Blue and gave it Regina. Sorry about the mistake. I went back and corrected it. More about the curse in the next chapter.
> 
> So enjoy and don't forget to leave review, ask question, share a theory or just talk to me. I'm here!

I walk down the stairs of the mausoleum and notice my father's coffin is pushed aside. The place is quiet. The mausoleum is practically soundproofed by its thick walls. It`s the only place in Storybrooke where I can escape and be alone with my memories and feelings. A place where I can get a lot of answers just by sitting here and talking to Daddy. Revelation is bound to come at some point.

And much like me, Reina has come for answers. The desire to know everything, to not be surprised, to always have the upper hand, is what drives Reina forward. My sister`s mind works much like Cora`s. They both want power and will do anything to get it. It doesn`t matter the cost. What matters is the result, the prize. They will go to hell and back to get what they want. The difference between my sister and me is that  _I_  am not a cold-blooded murderer. I only kill when there is no other option. That was the case with Graham. I had to. I had to preserve the curse.

I descend the stairs once againand see her in the middle of the vault turning her head from left to right. Searching. She is wearing a grey coat, which I recognize is mine, and I see black material peeking from just under the hem of the coat. The dim light in the vault casts shadows over her black hair, giving it a golden glow.

''The two cases on the right on the top row,'' I prompt her.

Without turning to me she props herself on toes and reaches the cases. She can't open them. She tries again and again but the stubborn cases don't give. She sighs heavily asking me, 'Why?'

''I cannot open them either. I have tried ever since we came here but without success. And I have tried to figure out why but that escapes me, too.''

''So our hearts are here but we can't touch them?'' She finally turns to me, and her expression suggests that she is very disappointed. She had plans for these hearts.

''I guess. Why do you need them? They are safe here. No one can harm us until they are here,'' I state calmly, although she already knows that.

''But we can't feel anything without them, can we?'' She responds with sadness. It's rare to hear that tone in her voice. Reina doesn't like opening up to others.

''No, we can't.''

''Why? Why are the hearts trapped here? The heart we needed for the curse was dad's. I took it out. Our hearts weren't part of the deal. And now they are..." her voice slowly dies out.

She turns to the vault and finally breaks down. Tears run down the sides of her face and her bottom lip is quivering. She walks toward me and wraps her arms around me.

"And now we are just like Cora: without a heart and without feelings," I deduce, embracing my trembling sister. My hands fondle the back of her head as she buries her face in the base of my neck.

It's kind of ironic when you think about it. I fought so long to run away from Cora's reach. To be free from her abuse and influence. And yet here I am. I cursed people to come here to another land where mother couldn't be so I could have some happiness and peace. The curse was supposed to be my fresh start. A new chance. But I am not happy. I adopted Henry because I wanted to make someone happy, and he could do the same for me. But it didn't work because there was an important part of the puzzle missing.

I glance at the pulsating light coming from the vault.

We ended up just like her: heartless, manipulative, and power hungry. I guess people can't escape their blood.

''The feeling is there...'' I break the embrace and gaze at her brown orbs. It`s almost like looking in the mirror every morning. The same sadness, loneliness and fear of losing control are there. Sighing, I continue, ''It`s just a breath away. You reach out for it, but it fades. There is no place inside of you to harbor it.''

Reina sniffs and wipes the tears from her cheeks. Her eyes are locked on a random spot on the floor. A thousand thoughts are running through her mind and it's all evident on her face.

''Only the heart can harbor love," she says finally. "I know that. But why are our hearts locked?'' She lifts her gaze to meet mine.

''Maybe it's part of the curse?'' It sounds very naïve, but it's the only logical thing I can think of.

"I didn't put them in there."

"What about Blue?"

I know very little about the way the curse was made. I just know that only women can create curses because the women are creators of the world. Only they can alter it the way they see fit. Only women have the strength to assemble that kind of magic. Only they can make magic strong enough to transcend realms.

"She is the only other person besides me that knew about the curse before it became the legend it is. But I don't...I don't see the reason. What if our not feeling anything is because of the curse?"

"What if this was the only way she knew to destroy the Evil Queen?"

"She went through so much trouble to create her and then..."

"Only the creators can destroy the things they have made. That is what the Light Seer told me," I confess to my sister.

A long time ago, I went to the Seers' village. I hoped that they could help me bring back Daniel. "There is no way to bring back the dead the same way they were. We can bring him back, but he won't be the man you knew," the Light Seer told me, crushing all my hopes for reviving Daniel for good. Then I went to Rumple and resumed my magic training. I opened myself up to the darkness.

"I hate that the Seers know everything and tell us nothing."

"Yes," I chuckle and agree with my sister. "But imagine a world where you know all the bad things that are going to happen. You would want to avoid them and thus you would change the future. And for that, the consequences are severe."

Reina looks down at the floor and starts pacing around me. I stay put as the air around me shifts.

"Blue can destroy the Evil Queen in you. The Evil Queen is part of me. I can't...I  _am_  her. You...You were forced to become her because...I don't really know why. There is some purpose to all of this. Something beyond..."

"Beyond the Dark Curse?" I finish the sentence for my sister and she freezes.

She lifts her head and looks directly at me.

"Yes. The curse and the Queen were created. They were needed so we could come here and...There is a reason we are here in a land without magic. We had to end all the bloodshed, discontinue playing with other people's lives. We have stopped. The Evil Queen doesn't exist here.''

''Have we? Reina, come on. We still manipulate and scheme just as in the other worlds. Nothing has changed.''

''Why are you talking this way all of a sudden? Like...'' My sister throws her hands in the air with a defeated sigh **.**

''I sound like I did before the Evil Queen,'' I finish the sentence for her.

''Yes.''

''Well, the curse is breaking.''

''If the curse  _is_  breaking, then you should act like the Evil Queen, not your true self...'' She finishes in a barely audible whisper. She glares at me, a revelation hidden in her brown eyes and a smug smirk on her lips. ''That is why you killed the Huntsman. He kissed Emma and remembered his true self. You kissed her and you start to act more like your true self.''

 _Interesting_ , I think to myself. Is it possible to be that woman again?

"But I think I might have blown things with Emma." She looks at me sleeplessly and flashes an apologetic smile at me.

"What..." I shriek. "You..." I pause for a second to really understand what she is saying but my heartbeat quickens as the realization hits me. "We promised each other no more swapping here, right?"

It was easy to swap in the Enchanted Forest. Few people knew about Reina. It was actually fun to get in and out of the Evil Queen. Although the sadness, the bitterness, the anger, and the hunger for power were still deep inside. Reina had Jefferson to take her mind of all of that. I had...Daniel`s lifeless body.

"We did but I-I..." she gazes at me and shakes her head. "I thought it would be good to remove you from Emma`s suspect list."

"What did you do?" I ask with venom in my voice as I step in her personal space.

Reina is so manipulative that sometimes—more often that she likes to admit—she makes mistakes. That kind of hunger makes you blind to certain things. It makes you unable to think clearly and ponder over the events.

"I-I...I went to the station and got Sydney to confess he kidnapped Kathryn."

"And she bought that?"

"No, she...uh...She said she is taking Henry." Reina`s voice is barely a whisper. She knows how much I love Henry. I can`t live without him.

"No." I gasp with my hand on my chest. "I told you I was going to take care of that!"

I am so close to saying, "Why are you ruining my relationship with Emma?" Thankfully, I stop myself just in time. Reina wants me to seduce Emma so she can be on our side, but I can't do that. Not when I have feelings for her. Feelings that have emerged after just one kiss...Or maybe they were there all this time and I didn't realize them, which is why I told Emma that I am not ready. I  _am_  ready and I want her like no one else in my life but not like this, not when it's part of some plan. I want to go to the next level with her only when there is nothing but our feelings for each other.

I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down and get into the Mayor's mode. The Mayor's mask helps me deal with the most difficult situations. I can easily hide behind her and attack everyone. It's the safest way. In the Enchanted Forest it was the Evil Queen, here, in Storybrooke, it's Madame Mayor.

"Stay out of this," I raise my index finger at her and knit my eyebrows.

I realize I just said too much. Reina's eyebrows shoot almost up to her hairline and her eyes widen.

"Really?" She tilts her head.

I storm out before I reveal my true feelings to my sister. I don't want her to know about Emma. I want us to remain a secret. A secret that will stay hidden for as long as I can help it. I don't want to lose that love, too.

Love?  _Is_  it love?

Kissing Emma brought out my true self. I started feeling more like the girl I was when I was eighteen. The girl who, once upon a time, fell in love in the stables, hidden between the animals. The girl who believed that True Love was the most powerful magic of all. That girl was so far away, almost dead, when my lips touched those of the Savior. Lips that felt like heaven against mine. Lips that tasted divine. Lips that urged me to lose all control and surrender to the unknown. The lips of the person destined to break the curse. The lips of Snow White's daughter. The only lips I want now.

Reina stares at her sister's retreating form. She has made a great mistake. The swapping thing didn't turn out the way she had expected to. This Emma Swan is nothing like the people the brunette has encountered in the Enchanted Forest. She is unpredictable. Her face doesn't have filter for her emotions but there is something off with her eyes. There is something out of this world that the witch has seen only in Regina's eyes. And that scares Reina to no end.

She thinks of herself as the born Evil Queen. She is not a copy. She was not made by Rumple. She is the original. She is destined to do great things. She is much more than the miller's granddaughter.

Reina is determined to figure this out before Emma Swan ends the curse. She needs to know what lies ahead so she can work out a plan. The brunette can't just sit and do nothing. She has to be in control and in charge even in this world. She has to know how to bring the magic here. If that is even possible.

So she goes to the one person that will help her. At least she hopes.

She goes to Blue, or Mother Superior in this world, who lives in the outskirts of Storybrooke. She is the head nun now. The curse has some weird sense of humor.

Blue raised Reina like her own daughter, helped her wield the magic in her body. The magic that has been handed down the generation in Mills family. The magic that is both the greatest power in the world and the greatest curse.

Her body comes into collision with unknown soft form. Reina snaps her eyes open and sees Blue smiling.

"I saw your car. Why are you here?" The older woman asks with stern voice.

 _A little softness won't hurt_ , Reina says to herself, but she knows not to expect something like that from the woman that raised her.

Blue welcomed Reina when the fifteen-year-old girl escaped from the Mills' house. The older woman knew that Cora's daughter had to be under strict supervision. The power that she and her twin-sister had stored in them was beyond anything she had seen before. She still ponders how the cruelest love in the world could create something so beautiful, yet so dark. But then again maybe beauty and darkness go hand in hand.

"I need answers before all hell breaks loose."

"Hm..." The woman in Blue sits on the swing situated on her porch, gazing at the green field before her. It reminds her of her home back in the Enchanted Forest. She folds her legs at the ankles and relaxes her hands in her lap.

"The curse is breaking, and I need you to do something." Mother Superior gazes straight ahead, not looking at her companion. She has to lie to her, and avoiding Reina's all-knowing eyes is the best solution.

"What?"

"When the curse is broken, magic will not be available. We have to bring it before Rumple does."

"Just that?" The younger woman mocks at the simplicity of the statement, shrugging her shoulders. "We need True Love's magic. Just that."

"It's in Maleficent's belly." Blue sees that Reina blinks few times in an attempt to assimilate the new information. "Rumple will try to get to it. But we have to get there before him." Blue states and wishes that this little imp hadn't succeeded. It is dangerous to have True Love's power in the wrong hands. And above all, The Light Seer told her that Rumple should not get his gold hands on it in this world. If he did then he would gain unstoppable power, and if the prophecy is to be fulfilled, he has to be stopped **.**

"He'll try and drop it in the well. Is there another way?"

"Yes. But that is out of the question."

"Why?"

Considering her options for a while, the older woman brushes her skirt and speaks just under her breath, "It involves your sister."

"What do you know?" Reina whips her head around to face the older woman whose blue skirt matches her coat. But her look tells a different story. Her words don't match her expression. Her eyebrows are knitted together; her gaze is locked on her skirt.

"Nothing."

 _Lie_ , the younger witch thinks.

"Don't play dumb with me. You taught me to really look at people. I can tell that you are hiding something."

"All will be revealed in time."

"That's the Seer's line," Reina almost shrieks before stopping for a second. Blue looks away from her. The air is full of tension and lingering secrets. The twin is on the verge of yelling. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing that you should know before the curse breaks."

"I need to know so I can protect Regina."

"Oh, so now you are protecting her? Where were you when she was been consumed by darkness? Oh, wait. You were by her side, encouraging her."

"I...She wanted to feel what it was like to win for once. I wanted her not to feel neglected."

A silence falls between the two women.

Blue knows that Reina has a point. She knows what her sister had to endure to get to this point where Regina could be turned into the Evil Queen. Although she will never be the true Queen. She will be a pale counterfeit of her own sister. Reina will do whatever it takes to win without thinking over it. Regina, on the other hand, has conscience, and what's more, she actually listens to it. Reina took Henry's heart out to enact the curse. What she didn't know, what the fairy hadn't told her, was that the twins' father's wasn't the only heart needed for the curse. The prophecy said that a witch from Mills family would fall in love so desperately that she would rip her own heart out. All magic comes with a price, and her first-born children would pay it **.**  The Dark Curse would be created out of their hearts.

The twin's voice snaps her out of her thoughts.

"There is something more, isn't there?"

"There is always more, Reina. You can only see the skeleton of the future. You can`t see the circumstances around the events." She turns to the younger woman and continues. "All I can tell you is that this bigger than you, me and everyone else. It's about the love that is starting to vanish. The curse had to happen in order for us to come here. The Evil Queen had to be created for her to enact the curse. The Savior had to be born and sent here in order to break the curse."

"Why did Regina have to be the Evil Queen? I already had the Queen in me. I was  _born_  the Evil Queen. Why should someone else wear that ugly title when she doesn't have it in her? I should have done all of that."

"You already did enough. You created the curse. That was your purpose. Regina's was to enact it, and Emma's is to break it."

"I'm waiting for the 'more' part." Reina is quickly growing impatient with her.

"I already said too much, Reina. When the time comes, you will know all."

"When magic comes to Storybrooke I'll see into the future and I'll know."

"The future is a puzzle. You may have all the pieces, but you have to figure out how to make them fit."

"And everything is open to interpretation. I know. I lived in the Seer's village."

"When you were hiding from Regina as she pursued you for killing your father," Blue bites, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction.

"I had to kill him. She couldn't do it."

"You truly are just like your mother."

"Is that such a bad thing **?**  I think it's better than being coward."

"No, it's not a bad thing. But why is being a coward so terrible?"

"Because if you don't hold your head high, you can't see when your enemies are going to attack," Reina says, her voice laced with venom. She stands up, holding her chin high and looking at Blue from above.

In that moment, the fairy sees the ruthless killer and manipulator that Reina truly is. Just like her parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice that at the end of the last chapter it wasn't Regina who talked to Emma? If not, this chapter will be a shock for you.


	6. The Evil Queen herself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm soo sorry for the ridiculously long update. Over a month. I'm bad, I know. But I had zero inspiration for it for quite some time and it was though chapter to pull together. So yeah...
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.

To say Reina is pissed is understatement. Oh, how she wants her magic right now. She could have showed to the whole world that she really is The Evil Queen in flesh and blood and not the pathetic image Disney has created for her. Damn this fairy that refuses to tell her what is really going on.

The thing Reina hates the most is knowing that someone else has the upper hand. That someone else knows what will happen. That she is being kept in the dark. That is not acceptable.

Breaking the curse right away is the only way for her to get her magic back, to open a portal to their land and go to the Seer's village. But before leaving this world, she has to make sure that no harm will come to Regina. And Emma. She has to break the curse. So she has to be protected too.

And then there are these feelings Regina has for the blonde. Reina saw it. Last night when she walked on both of them pressed against the wall. The looks on their faces. The softness of their features. And most of all she sensed the air full energy radiating from the two of them. It was so powerful that she could almost see it. That is the other reason that the brunette wants to break the curse as soon as possible. She wants to sense this energy when she has her magic. Then she can know what kind of energy that is because it is anything but regular.

Parking her Volvo in front of the pawnshop, Reina takes a deep breath.  _Time to see the devil_. She exits the car and then closed the door. Her eyes scan the front door before her legs carry her to it.

Reina opens the door with a swoop causing the bell to chime. She closes the door and turns the sign. 'Closed' for the people outside. She doesn't need interruptions.

"Well, isn't that the one that got away?" Gold waits for her patiently to come closer to him.

He is standing behind the counter leaning with hands on the wooden frames. His smile is crocked in a smug way.

"I prefer the Evil Queen," she lifts her chin higher and raises her eyebrows. Reina stops just before the counter and stares at his eyes, challenging him.

"You are not the Evil Queen, dearie," he teases her.

"I'm not the Evil Queen you created."

"Yet you are in the shadows of your own sister. Isn't that the opposite of what you wanted?" Gold knows very well what motivates Reina, what pushes her buttons. And he tries to use that knowledge in any encounter he has with her. This young witch reminds him of Cora far too much for his liking.

"I'm not here for that." Reina ends this topic. As much as she likes the bickering with this imp, she has no time for games. She traces the wooden frame of the glass counter with her right index finger and asks casually and slowly, "Do you recall that...a couple of hundred years ago you...left your son to be sucked out of your life?"

Silence fills the shop. The man looks at the woman before him. Her eyes are locked on his and a sharp pain runs through his heart and he swears it whispers 'Cora' to him. Like Cora is right here in front of him, telling him once again that she chooses power over him. The pain he feels now is similar. Because the tone Reina uses suggest that she knows something and she is going to use that against him.

"I'll take your silence as a 'yes'. So let me tell you that Bae doesn't talk about you at all," the woman says proud that once again she has the upper hand. That once again she is one step ahead of the Dark One.

"H-how..." Gold holds his hand close to where his heart is.

The pain won't disappear but at least he has hope left.

"I know where he is."

The words that echo in the shop sound like gold. After all this was his goal all along. It feels like his Holy Grail is just a step away from him.

Reina watches closely his reaction. His face tells her all she wants to know.

"I want a deal with you," she has no more time for him to wrap his mind around the new information and old regrets.

"What is it?" his voice cold and distant with just a hint of care.

"Um...after the curse is broken you will do no harm to Regina or Emma. You will not attack them in any way."

"And what will you give me?" Gold asks with eagerness. Which is out of character for him, yes, but the mention of his long lost son did the trick.

Reina opens her mouth to speak but closes it in an instant. She could say the she can give him the location of Bae. She could write it down and leave him to deal with it. But letting Rumplestiltskin out of Storybrooke and into the world is not a good thing. He is unpredictable as he is now. She can't risk setting him to free roam in the world.

"I'll convince Bae to come to Storybrooke to talk to you."

To say that Gold is surprised by the kindness of her end of the bargain is understatement. He is shocked. He narrows his eyebrows trying to catch the lie on her face. Nothing but sincerity greets him. That's a first.

"Why do you need Regina and Emma under protection from me?" He amuses. Maybe there is something more. At least he hopes.

"I just need them," she states, but he catches a glimpse of something. So he decides to play a little game with her. To see if she can give something away.

"Oh, do I sense the infamous twin sister guilt, dearie?" He tilts his head waiting for positive.

* * *

**Flashback In The Enchanted Forest**

She was running. Reina was running through the forest. Once she was out of the Mills' household she never once looked back. Not even to see if she was being chased by someone. Which she wasn't. It was late in the night and no one saw her escaping.

The night air was cold and gave her robe-clad form chills. She didn't take the weather into consideration. But when you run away from your home the night you turn sixteen you never think of this, do you?

So there she was running towards...anywhere but her house. Anywhere but that awful place that was suffocating her. Away from her abusive mother for whom the higher step of the ladder was the only option. Away from her father who never once defended her. But also away from her twin sister Regina, a lamb among wolves.

Reina wasn't dumb or blind to see how pure-hearted her sister was. Because those witches who can see the future at five are the ones with the greatest powers of all. Because only witches whose hearts weren't blackened could see the future.

But Regina couldn't disobey to her mother. The word 'No' was not in her vocabulary. She did what Cora wanted without hesitation.

That was not the case with Reina though. She was headstrong and cold-blooded from the start. She was determined and never waited for the others. She was always the first. The brunette was always thinking three steps ahead of others. Life was a big game of chess for her and she had to be the winner. Just like Cora.

And Cora really did have problems with her daughter. They butted heads more than she liked. She didn't want that. She wanted a daughter that she could use for climbing the social ladder.

Reina's thoughts were cut off when her body bumped into someone else's.

"Hello, child," a sweet voice came from the woman dressed in blue with very inappropriate cleavage. "I think you need help."

"No." Reina's response was harsh, but she never liked to be considered needy.

"I think you are lost and you need me to point you into the right direction." The calmness in the older woman's voice was sickening.

"No, I..."

"Where do you live, child?" The Blue Fairy asked impatiently.

"Um..." Reina wasn't sure she could trust this woman, so she decided not to for now. "In the nearby village."

"Oh, is that so?" The woman knew who she was very well. It was already said in the Light Seer's prophecy.

_"The witch that shall rip her own heart out of her chest will curse her offspring. Darkness will be born out of their hearts and only light can help bring them back" were the Light Seer's words. "Her descendants shall harbor great power, using it for evil until Light comes to rescue them from the Dark."_

"Well-" Blue stopped her train of thoughts. "If that is the case, child, I live nearby too. Come with me and in the morning you will return to your home. It is too late for a young woman like yourself to wander around these woods."

Something inside the brunette told her to trust this woman. She looked sincere and calm. Her smile and her eyes were welcoming and warm. Something that Reina has never seen in Cora.

So the young woman put her faith in older one and went with her.

But she neither left the next morning, nor the morning after that. Reina stayed with the Blue Fairy who helped her master the power within. The head fairy had to make sure that the girl wouldn't just wander alone in any world with that magic in her.

Two years have passed and Reina's real self, the Evil Queen, has bloomed. She has grown powerful enough to perform any spell. She has grown ruthless enough to do everything it takes for her to win without a blink of an eye. Killing has become game for her and ripping out hearts her preferred method. She has grown wise enough to create the Dark Curse.

_"The Heartless witch shall have two children—identical on the outside but very different within. The firstborn shall be her copy whereas the second shall come out shy and with light in her soul. The audacity of the Heartless witch's act shall put a curse on her children's hearts. The Dark will turn the Light into Dark protégé. The darkness in them shall be strong enough to create a new world. A chance shall be given to them. A chance for a second take on their lives."_

* * *

Rumple knows that this will hit a nerve.

And it does. Reina is so angry at his straightforwardness that she could almost feel her magic boiling inside of her. Almost. Her eyes narrow, she clenches her fists but stops herself from connecting them with the man's jaw. Now is not the time. After the curse she will finish him.

"No," she responds after some time. "It is not about that. It's about something more, Rumple. But all shall be revealed in time."

Reina says enough to spark his interest.

"When it's not for you, Reina. You crave power. You crave all in this world and you don't settle for anything less."

True. His words were all true.

"So?" The young woman challenges him to go on with whatever he has in mind. Seeing he doesn't continue she says, "Come on,  _Dad_ , you are better than this."

"You believe Cora?" He sounds genuinely surprised that she trusts Cora about this. "When she is the one that is truly responsible for all of this..." The man manages to stop himself before unraveling the truth.

Reina sees the look on Rumple's face that means he knows more than he says. He always does and the brunette always manages to catch him and almost everyone. The only people she has trouble reading are the Light Seer, Blue and Emma Swan. Which is very alarming for the woman.

"Oh, you know something, don't you?"

Reina stares right into the man's eyes. She narrows her eyes as if to cut him. She watches until his eyes give her the truth. Without her magic it takes her longer to distinguish the lie from the truth.

"I didn't say that." The man turns to his back room, cueing the witch to leave.

She chuckles at his poor attempt to finish the conversation. They are so not finished. She follows him and waits for him to start talking.

"Come on, Dad. We are family, right? Sick and twisted, but family nonetheless." Reina is determined to get everything out. She uses the family card knowing very well that everything Rumple does is for his son.

"We are not family," the man spins on his heels with anger flashing through his face.

"She was pregnant when she ripped her heart. She thought that the love for her unborn could substitute the love she had for you. But she didn't know that without heart she couldn't feel anything for anyone." Reina explains with sadness in her voice.

"She lied to you and everyone else for that matter. Lying is second nature." The brunette finishes with a wave of her hand. In another time that would bring magic to life, but not now.

"No," his stubbornness takes control. "You were born a month earlier. You are Henry's daughters."

"No. They never slept together until we were born. He considered it a sin."

"I am telling you, you are not mine." His anger grows and soon he will break.

"Why should I trust you of all people?" Reina gets angry at him. She gradually raises her voice until she is screaming out of her lungs. "Blue, Cora herself, and the ten midwiferies that delivered us tell a different story. Why should I trust you and not them? Oh, wait. Because that would mean that you have used your own daughters, manipulated them, only to find your long-lost precious son who doesn't want anything to do with you."

Silence blankets the shop as the two people stare at each other through watered eyes.

Rumple had always suspected that Cora was pregnant when they met in the forest around Henry's castle. She told him she ripped her own heart because it was stopping her from bringing the world to their knees. But this...Could it be true? That he punished his daughters for his son? But he didn't know. If he knew...Rumple sighed at his realization. No, he would have done the same thing over and over again. No matter the consequences. He would do it again because letting go of Bae was the biggest mistake in his life. Even bigger than falling in love with Cora.

"You broke Regina so badly that she would become desperate to start over. You made a deal with Blue about the curse, but you never told me that Regina would enact it."

* * *

**Flashback In The Enchanted Forest**

The young girl was startled. A man who looked like a walking crocodile with golden skin appeared before her in her own bedroom.

"Get out," she yelled but the man only gasped.

"Oh, my, my. So rude." He even placed a palm over his heart, pretending to be shocked and hurt. "So young and so..." He sighed as his eyes scanned the girl's body from head to toe and back sensing the magic underneath. "So passionate. I like that."

"Who are you and what do you what?" Reina was disgusted by the way this man or creature was looking at her. She had heard about him, but she had never seen him. So she wanted to be sure.

"Impatient are we? Here I thought my reputation precedes me. I'm severely mistaken. I am Rumplestiltskin."

The man took a step back and bow with reverence.

"I want  _you_ ," he pointed at the eighteen year old girl with his golden finger, "to make  _me_ " he brought the finger to his chest "a curse."

It was that simple. For him anyway. The girl's eyes widened in shock at the request.

"Oh..." She tilted her head trying to figure it out why.

 _"Only women can create curses because only they can create life."_  Blue's first lesson about making a curse reached the young woman's mind.

"Exactly," the weird man nodded. "You'll make me a curse and I'll spare your life. How does that sound to you?" Rumple said the terms of the deal with his usual pride and satisfaction.

"No," Reina replied simply. She shook her head and continued, "You can't kill me. I'm faster and stronger. Not to mention more powerful."

The man laughed at her cockiness. It was brave and at the same time very foolish of her to stand before the Dark One and challenge him.

"I am. Ask Blue. She taught me."

A confidence was radiating from her that made the man even more intrigued by her.

"Oh, did she?" He asked.

Rumple tried his best to get Reina to accept his deal. But she refused every time. She refused over and over again until the man was so furious that he threatened her life.

"You don't want me as your enemy" were his last words to the woman who didn't even flinch. She just smirked at him. One of those I-win-you-suck smirks. That was it for Rumple. He left the room feeling more humiliated even from when he was kneeled before the King's men all these years ago.

* * *

"Blue didn't tell me that you created it. I understood that when Regina was about to enact it."

Reina isn't sure whether Rumple sounds like he is apologizing or it's just her wild imagination.

"Whatever. Do we have a deal?" The woman asks, annoyed. She wants to go out and leave Rumple behind because this conversation touches too many sensitive topics. It wasn't supposed to be like that, but it happened.

"Yes," the man answers with a nod far too quickly, which raises Reina's suspicions.

Maybe he has some backup plan or he knows something that she doesn't. And that is not good.

"Good." The woman spins on her heels and storms out of the shop.

Just before she closes the door completely she hears "I'm sorry" from the man she left behind.

Sorry for what? That he used her and Regina for his own selfish reasons? For the fact that he continues to deny that he is their father? Or for the fact that he tricked both of his daughters for his son?

Reina gets in her car and drives off to the mansion. On her way there, her thoughts are racing in her mind not letting her concentrate on the driving.

Why did Rumple agree so quickly to a deal that he didn't make? Was it father's guilt?  _No, it can't be that,_  the young woman thinks. He probably agreed because he won't make his end of the bargain. He will break his own deal.

He will try and harm Regina or Emma, and that cannot happen. Reina will make sure it doesn't. She has to pull his teeth out. But the lack of magic in Storybrooke...Wait?

The woman slams the breaks of her car. There is magic in the mausoleum. Things that she and Regina brought from the Enchanted Forest. There has to be something that could help her. She remembers that they got only small object to remind them of home. Nothing big and important...except Jefferson's hat and her own. She could try and make one of them work. If she manages to go back to the Enchanted Forest she has to take something that could prevent Rumple from hurting anyone after the curse is broken. His dagger is somewhere with him so that option is out and it's the only way the Dark One could be killed. If Reina could kill him she could...

The brunette turns off the ignition and starts laughing.

"The Sleeping curse. I will put him under it and considering Cora is not here, True Love kiss won't work. He will stay like that forever," the woman says to herself and beams at her own plan.

So she steers the car towards the outskirts of Storybrooke where the Mad Hatter lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the chapter... Zero Swan Queen? I know and I wanted to put some but they will be in the next one for sure. I just wanted to clarify what's with the 'real Evil Queen' and the 'fake one'. I wanted to tell you something about the curse too but the way it was made and all the conditions in it will be explained later on. I plan to break the curse in the next chapter. Any guesses how it would be done? Thoughts about the few twists here?


	7. I'm leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for sticking up with me and the weird turn I took. This chapter is Swan Queen in all their glory. The scenes from the show are changed a lot to fit the story. Also Emma's lie detector works perfectly in my fiction unlike the show. Emma's POV is in italic.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you like it. Enjoy.

 

_I'm leaving. Yes, I have to leave. Because this wasn't how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to come here, drop the kid and go back. But no. I saw Regina hugging Henry and all my thoughts vanished somewhere and I forgot I was supposed to go back to Boston. I literally forgot. All I could think is the beauty before me and warmth a felt radiating from her. Weird, huh. Warmth coming from the Mayor? But yeah. It was warmth. I have always felt this warmth coming from her washing over my senses every time we get near each other. Warmth and pull. Something was drawing me towards her and that made me stay. That and the fact that when I asked her whether she loves Henry I saw the love but there was something off with it. That was the other reason I stayed._

_And now it is time for me to leave. To leave all of this behind me because it fucking hurt so much. I want Regina since the day I saw her and all this time she was playing with me. Like I am some kind of a toy she could play and toss when she is bored. I have been tossed around enough. Family after family in the great American foster system. And now Regina is acting the same way. We surrendered to our attraction, twice, got all hot and bothered and now she is like "I don't want you."_

_What the fuckery is that? One minute she was melting in my arms and next she was back to her bitchy self. She speaks half-truths and fabricates false statements. Why do I always fall for the wrong person? First Neal left me to do his time. And now Regina is using my attraction to her for her own needs. She...It was real. She felt it too but now she uses me. She temporary distracted me so she could cover her tracks._

_And here is the result now. I'm driving towards the mansion to say goodbye to Henry and Regina. I have to leave. I can't be here and getting hurt like that again. I can't live like that. I can't be tossed around anymore. I have dignity. It is small considering I am street kid but if I don't stand up for myself no one will._

_This is me standing for myself. This is me protecting me._

_I knock on the door two times and step back waiting. It doesn't take too long._

 

_Regina opens the door with a swing._

 

"We need to talk," Emma says giving me no time to react.

 

"Yes, I-I imagine we do," I agree with her having absolutely no idea why she is here. Probably to take Henry as she said to Reina in the station.

 

She is panting and looking like she is in pain. I suppose it is because of her feelings being hurt. I understand.

 

"Come right in." I step back allowing her to get inside and close the door after her.

 

I take a deep breath preparing myself for what is about to come. She looks around the foyer staring briefly at the door of the living room where our last make out session was. She knits her brows, at the memory I have no doubts, and turns to me.

 

Standing in the middle of the foyer I remind myself that Henry is upstairs doing his homework and Reina is making an apple pie. I wanted to help her but she rejected my preposition so I was relaxing after the hard day when Emma came.

 

I feel a little uneasy with the silence falling over us and wrap my hands around my body. The pull I feel towards her is here. The air is replaced with all the undeniable feelings we have for each other. The more time it passes the more I am convinced that the kisses we shared are some kind of curse-breaking. Like they opened our eyes to what we really feel and what we were denying all this time.

 

"I think that this…whatever is between us needs to end."

 

Her words echo in the big space and stab me right in the heart. End? No.

 

"W-what?" I stumble over the simple word. Her words are too much of a shock for me.

 

"Look, this isn't easy. It is actually fucking insane and...I can't..." She is trying to voice whatever is in her mind but it's hard for her.

 

And I know why. She was hurt by Reina's actions and now she is stepping back from me. She is defending herself. I tried to protect her by not sleeping with her. If we had done that before she knows who I am it would be devastating for her and for me too.

 

"I am leaving town," she says cutting of my thoughts.

 

"What?"

 

"I'm leaving town. I am leaving you and Henry. I should have done that the night I brought him back. I shouldn't have stay. I shouldn't have fall so hard for you. I shouldn't feel this way towards you. So I'm gonna go..."

 

"Okay," I agree with her and she is stunned. She blinks rapidly trying to figure out why.

 

If she stays here the games Reina and I used to play will hurt her again. She can't distinguish us and this is going to be a problem after the curse is broken. When we get our magic back the swapping will be our way of fighting and she could get in the cross fire. I am too evil, too content with hurting people and I don't want her to see that. I will lose her either way. I always lose.

 

"I understand that you are hurt, Emma. I really do." What is wrong with me? That sounds like a politician trying to get vote for the next elections. Get a grip, Regina. "But...the feeling we have for each other...I feel it, you feel it."

 

I take a hesitant step forward expecting for her to walk back. But she stays firmly on her place. Maybe I could turn this around.

 

"We can't deny it," _her soft voice laced with hope reaches my ears. Dear God, I might not leave_.

 

"You are right," _I agree with Regina_. "But when I am away we'll...forget it."

 

"That is childish. You know that won't happen."

 

"Yes. But I'm determined to leave. Because I can't keep up with you." _I am well aware that my voice gets higher by the minute but I don't really care at this point. I am leaving after all._ "One minute you want me, looking like a teenager girl in love for the first time. Next you don't, turning into the bitch you are. I don't know why. So I'm gonna go."

 

"No," _Henry's voice announces his presence and we both turn our heads to the kid who is descending down the stairs._ "You can't leave. You have to break the curse. You have to defeat the Evil Queen. You can't leave me here with her."

 

_Great, the rant about his theory that Regina is the Evil Queen is back with full force. And here I thought he was over it._

 

"Really? Are you back to that again? “I _ask him with my voice still high._ ”Coz just yesterday you were glowing at the dinner we had here."

 

"Yes, because that was all part of our operation," _he speaks like it was the most natural thing. Like I knew this._

"No. Stop," _I yell at him angry from the fact that even he, this little 10 year old, is planning and scheming._ "That wasn't part of any operation. That was..." _I glare at Regina and I see her waiting impatiently for my answer. There is a hint of hope in her eyes. Now is my payback time._ "That was me trying to be civil with your adoptive mother."

 

_My words have the effect I was looking for. The hurt is evident in Regina's eyes. Good, she deserves it. Or is it a lie?_

 

"So civil means shoving your tongue down someone else's throat?" _Reina appears from the kitchen with plastic box containing some food wearing a mid-thigh red dress._

_It is full contrast to her sister's dark blue pants suit with white shirt underneath. Now is not the time for fashion observations._

 

_She stands right beside Regina who continues to act like she's hurt._

 

"What?" _Henry grabs my hand forcing me to look down at him_. "You kissed her? No, this is not what are you supposed to do."

 

"And what the hell am I supposed to do?"

 

"You are supposed to stay and fight with them. They are both evil and..." _He turns his eyes to the twins standing before us and his eyes caught on something._ "What is that?" _He asks._

 

"Nothing," _Reina says and my lie-detector ability senses a lie_.

 

"What is in the box? And don't lie to me coz I can't tell the lie," Emma warns Reina stepping closer to her.

 

Reina looks at me for help with worry swirling in her eyes. I don't have time to respond because Emma is faster.

 

"Give it to me," she says and before anyone could react she grabs the box and opens it. "What is that?"

 

She asks again and I am sure that there is no way out of this.

 

"This is apple turnover. Old family recipe," I answer her question knowing that there will be more.

 

"Why she didn't want to tell me?" Emma's eyes are focused on mine.

 

"I have no idea." I have to speak honest with her. If I want her to leave not hating me completely I have to.

 

"It's made from apples and it's poisonous. It's just like in the book. The Evil Queen uses apples to poison Snow White," Henry introduced his theory.

 

Emma purses her lips and shakes her head. The theory is irritating her.

 

"Stop with that stupid idea. Get it out of your head," she says but he just continues.

 

"Okay. I will shut up if she says who it for is."

 

Well, that actually is the first sane thing he has said in a while.

 

"Great," Emma agrees and turns to Reina. "Who is it for?"

 

And for a second I am really worried about this. I know that there are no poisonous apples here because we don't have magic here. But the fact that Reina is silent makes me wonder.

 

"Mr. Gold. He loves it," she replies after a while.

 

"Bullshit," Emma fires back and steps into her personal space. "Who is it for? And don't lie to me this time."

 

Her eyes scan Reina's face and see the lie underneath. She might be true lie detector after all.

 

"Mr. Gold," my sister hisses while her face stay stoic.

 

"Is it poisonous?" This question was expected.

 

But before anyone could react or say anything Henry grabs the box from Emma and storms out of the house. We all run after him calling him out but he doesn't stop. He throws the box backwards empty. Few steps later, just before the front door, he collapses with the turnover bitten.

 

"Henry," Emma and I scream his name as we fall on our knees next to the child lying on the path.

 

I grab his body and turn him over. His eyes are closed, mouth open. Emma reaches out and finds his pulse point on his neck.

 

"I barely feel a pulse," she whispers to me and I look at my sister who wears apologetic look.

 

In this moment it all fits. She spent last night in Jefferson's place and today she came back to the house to make the apple turnover. She practically pushed me out of my own kitchen to make it. It is poisonous and Henry is under the Sleeping curse. 

 

"We have to take him to the hospital," I say but Emma is already opening the door of her car.

 

I grab my boy in my arms and carry him towards the yellow vehicle. After I slide carefully on the front seat Emma closes the door and goes to her seat.

* * *

 We storm into the hospital. I'm holding Henry while Emma runs before me and pushes people screaming, "Out of my way."

 

Two of the nurses come to aid immediately while the others are searching for Dr. Whale. The redheaded one takes the boy and puts him on the bed while the other hooks wires to him.

 

"No, Henry," I whisper between sobs and my body starts to shake.

 

Standing on just an arm's length on Emma's right I could see the tears streaming down her sides. It's the first time I have seen her so vulnerable and open.

 

"What happened?" Whale asks as he enters the room. He goes to the boy and checks his eyes with a flash. "No reaction."

 

"He ate this," Emma answers him handing him the turnover in a little bag.

 

When did she take it?

 

_My eyes are glued to Regina's eyes waiting for the emotion to emerge and betray her. I've noticed that her eyes can tell me anything. It doesn't matter what the lips are saying. It's all in her eyes._

 

_There it is. A little pain with knitting eyebrows and pursing lips. She is concerned about the turnover. Could what Henry was babbling about be true? Could the turnover be poison? Is Regina the Evil Queen from the book?_

 

"His airway is clear. Did he vomit? Did he convulse? Did he get any me..."

 

"He took a bite from this and he just fucking collapse. So run the tests for arsenic or bleach, or whatever the fuck you want that could have fucking caused this." _I shout at him throwing the turnover in his face._

 

 _He grabs it in time and says,_ "The boy shows no symptoms that would suggest neurotoxins. So whatever have fucking caused this is not in here." _The man throws the bag at one of his nurses._

 

"Then what the hell is it?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"But he is going to be okay though, right?" _Regina asks still standing right beside me._

 

_Her warmth is giving me some kind of comfort in this situation._

 

"I need to stabilize him first coz he is slipping away," _the doctor says while putting his gloves on._ "Now, is there anything else that you could remember? Any little detail could help."

 

"I already told you everything. Do something." _I spat at him._

 

"Look. I understand you are frustrated. I do. But I need something to treat and right now there is no explanation..." _he speaks but his voice sound like an echo because my thoughts are consumed by Regina and the look on her face._

 

_She is staring directly at Henry, crying with her arms around her. Her shoulders are bent forward, her head tilted sideways._

 

"You..." _I yell at her startling everyone in the room._

 

_She whips her head towards me and we lock gazes. A strange scenes flash before my eyes._

_First, there is a castle. Then a woman looking like Mary Margaret but with longer hair give birth a child. Then the woman says "Goodbye, Emma." A man just like David is taking the baby and fighting with some guards. After a while he places the child in a box or something of a sort, says "Find us" as sweat drips from his forehead and closes the wooden thingy._

_My eyes snap open. Wait...When I closed them? I stare at Regina unable to say or do anything until she calls my name. I launch myself forward, grab her by the elbow and drag her with me in the closet._

_Once we are there I dash her against the supply shelf. She crashes into it and knocks off some of the stuff there._

 

"You," _I say._

 

 _She spins to face me asking,_ "What the hell are you doing?"

 

_As a respond I grab her by the elbows again. I take a step back dragging Regina with me and push her towards the cupboard. Her body slams at the metal doors hard and I'm sure she feels a great amount of pain._

 

 _But instead she says,_ "Stop. This is my son." _It's more of a plea and not an order which is a first for her._

_My right hand holds her left pinned to the doors while my right hand grabs her collar and presses Regina further into the cupboard. Our faces come inches apart and we breathe the same air._

 

"The fucking turnover your sister made, did this." _With every word I say I get closer to her until our lips are almost touching._

 

"No," _she murmurs with her eyes glued to mine. But her word sounds more like not believing this could be the reason Henry is in this condition. Or more like she don't want it to be the reason._

 

"It's b-because...the turnover is p-poisonous...right?" _I press my body flush against hers and the pull I feel for her is taking over my senses. The anger I feel for her is fading away quickly only to be replace by this goddamn hunger I have for her. It takes all my willpower not to lean the extra inch and kiss her. Coz that's all I wanna do right now._

 

_My heart beats fast and I feel my pulse drumming in my neck. And her sorrow face is not helping at all._

 

"Right?" _I scream at Regina already knowing the answer._

 

"Yes," _she whispers with more tears leaving wet traces on her sides. She lets her head hit the metal as if it would make everything go away. As if the pain will disappear._

 

"So...." _I gulp_. "It's all...t-true?"

 

"Yes." _She closes her eyes admitting the trust._

_I no longer pin her. I hold on her like dear life. All of what Henry was ranting about is true. It's not a crazy theory. It's true._

 

"You...I-I am...Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter? I-I have to...I'm the Savior?" _I stumble over the words as I lean on Regina even more._ "You are...the reason I..."

 

_She just nods._

 

"Oh..." _is all I can say now. All kinds of feeling are rushing through me but the one thing I do is to hold on to her. My grip is stable as if she is the only thing that is real right now._

_Her watered eyes are all I can see right now. Her heartbeat under my hand is all I can feel now. Her warmth is all I need now._

 

"You fix this," she says with her lower lip trembling and her face all red.

 

"I can't," I admit with a whisper. Her eyes are all I see now. Her opinion is all that matters now. She is all I want.

 

"Don't you have... _m-magic_?" She utters the word like it is a bad omen, like it's crazy that it exist.

 

"No one has magic here."

 

"Then how in the world this happened?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"So what do we do?"

 

We. She said 'we' not 'I'.

 

"Magic here is unpredictable and I can't..."

 

"Can he d-die?"

 

I close my eyes swallowing the truth and nod.

 

She takes two steps back and I already miss her and her warmth. The air in this small space is filled with something very different than the magic I am used to. It is something out of this world without a doubt. Maybe there is an object from the Enchanted Forest here or maybe it's the want I feel for her.

 

Emma looks at me and shakes her head. She paces in circles trying to wrap her mind around the facts. She is struggling with becoming believer and the Savior that she is destined to be. 

 

"What was in the turnover?" she asks after a few seconds with a voice that is free of any emotions. Cold as ice.

 

"I assume it's a poisonous apple."

 

"Like the one that the Evil Queen...you gave to Snow White to kill her?" she looks at me and my heart breaks because her face is stone cold too. Her lips pursed in a thin line. Her eyes are distant with a hint of worry for Henry. I can't fool myself that is for me.

 

"Yes."

 

"If there is no magic here...how...?"

 

"I don't."

 

Silence fills the air as she process the new information and thinks of some plan.

 

I stay silent and still leaning on the cupboard. As if that could give me support through all that is going to happen. The few moments we shared were in the past now. All hope for something with her ever again has vanished. All hope for anything but hate towards me has disappeared. 

 

"How it can be fixed?"

 

"True Love's kiss," I say and it reminds me about the way I told her mother about it. "True Love is the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness. It is the only magic powerful enough to break any curse and transcend realms."

 

She looks at me like I have three heads. Like all of these are the words of a crazy person.

 

"But...um..."

 

"You have to kiss Henry," I tell her as I push myself away from the cupboard and take a hesitant step toward her.

 

"Isn't True Love about two people being in love?"

 

"True Love has many forms. But the mother-son True Love is almost as powerful as that between two souls," I explain to her remembering how the Light Seer taught me.

* * *

**Flashback, Enchanted Forest**

"The True Love between mother and son is almost as powerful as that between two souls designed, destined, created for one another. True Love between two souls is the most powerful magic and it's the most pure," the Seer said to me.

 

"Why it is the most pure?" I asked looking up to the woman before me.

 

"Because it is created by two people and there is no meddling of a third person in it. It inhabits the sheer part of us. The heart. That is why without heart you can't feel love. Because only the heart can feel it."

 

"So without heart you have no love and vice versa?"

 

"True."

 

"Is True Love affected by the kind of magic you have?"

 

The Seer looked at me with her sky blue eyes and smiled softly.

 

"I shall share a secret with you, child. But you have to swear you will never speak of it."

 

"I promise."

 

"Good." She nods. "You and your sister have both kind of magic. Not only dark but light too."

 

"No," I shake my head. "That would mean that our dark magic is because we are from the Mills family. But having light means we are product of True Love?"

 

"Indeed."

 

"So Rumplestiltskin and Cora... But why his curse didn't break when they kissed?"

 

"You are like rough diamond, Regina," the Light Seer chuckles. "True Love's kiss is not the way to break the Dark One's curse. He has to be killed. The killer takes his power. True Love is too pure to meddle with it."

* * *

"Why don't you kiss him?"

 

"Because you have to break the curse."

 

"Does it have to be both ways. I mean...He loves me...I..." Her eyes are avoiding mine. They are on every little object in this small space but me.

 

"You love him." I manage to surprise even myself with these words.

 

But finally making her to look at me was worthy.

 

Though what I said is true. She might not know it yet, not understand it but she does love him. Because mother-child son is strong and no space and time can break it. It is always present in the mother whether she wants the child or not. And Emma definitely wants Henry but I suppose she is scared of whether she could do it or not.

 

"I see it in the way you look at him. In the way you care about him. In the way you protect him." I start to sound more like my younger self and that scares me and thrills me at the same time. 

 

She takes a step towards me with the desire swirling in her green eyes. Her mouth, inches from mine, teases with warm breath. Her body leans towards me connecting our chest which move up and down in sync.

 

"Okay," she whispers and her breath hot on my skin weakens my knees. "I'll save him. Let's get on with it."

 

And just like that she is gone. Out of the closet. Leaving me to catch my breath and slow down my overspending heart.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I wanted them to kiss but no. Emma doesn't. Or does she?


	8. A kiss on the forehead

_I exit the closet and walk over to Henry's bed. The boy is lying there with the wires connected to him. He has a mask on his face that gives him oxygen._

_I sense Regina is near me and I say,_  "I-I can't do it."

"You can, Emma."

_The tenderness in her voice is a surprise. It is taking aback as I look between her and the kid. She is still crying from our encounter in the closet but somehow she manages to recover._

_I, on the other hand, can't. The anger inside of me has terrifying amount that it scares me. I might flip any second. My heart is still racing and I feel like my head is going to explode._

_Everything Henry was ranting about past this half year is true. His adoptive mother has cursed an entire land of people and trapped them here. She is the Evil Queen. She has kill people and ripped hearts out. I am the child of Snow White and Prince Charming who go here as Mary Margaret and David. I have parents. All my life...I wanted to meet them just to see where I come from. I have never wanted to get to know them and now I'm best friend with my mother. This is all too much for me. I wanna run. Yes, running seems a good idea now._

Standing there in the middle of the room where my boy is fighting for his life...No that isn't what is happening. He is not dead, nor is his life in danger. He is under the Sleeping Curse. Thankfully the person who can wake him up is here. He is not in danger.

But he is in this condition because of me. Reina made the poisonous turnover to put Rumplestiltskin under the curse. In the moment Emma decided to come and say her goodbye with me and from there...Everything went down the spiral. Henry heard her and pleaded her to stay. Reina popped out from the kitchen with the turnover in hands. Who in their right minds would do such thing? That thing should be kept safe from anyone's eyes. Not waving around. And of course every sane person would ask about it. Knowing our son it doesn't surprise me that he just grabbed the turnover to prove his point. I guess this is a trade he gets from Emma. Act according to what his heart is telling. Logic will have to wait.

And here he is lying on the bed lifeless. Sleeping like a little prince. Well, he is real prince.

Emma is on his right still shaking with rage. Her lips tremble though her eyes remain locked on the boy. I know she is still mad at me. For treating her like that and most of all for being the Evil Queen from Henry's book.

"Does it...matter where the kiss will be?" she looks at me and asks.

"No," I whisper.

She approaches me hesitant and invades my space. Her smell takes over my senses and I have to remind myself that we are in a hospital. It takes all my willpower not to kiss her. I swear she wants to because her eyes are glued on my lips. I lick them slowly teasing her and it works. She narrows her eyes and purses her lips. Her breathing is uneven and that makes harder for me. Oh, God, this woman will be the death of me.

_I gulp audibly and step backwards creating distance between me and Regina. For a moment there I forgot who she was... and I almost...No. I shake my head and spin to face Henry. He is the one I should love and wake up with my kiss. Though my body is craving for someone else...But that is...No._

_I brush his head away from his forehead. He is so pale and calm._

_It was hard for me to let him go that night in the prison. I held him for good ten minutes and then I just thrust him into the child care woman that came to get him. She promised that he will be in good hands with his new family. At that time I didn't know and didn't want to know about where he will go. All I cared about is that he is safe and away from me and my street life._

_Regina said that I love him. She is right. I love him. If I didn't I wouldn't stay here. He is the second reason I stayed. He is so amazing that I can't believe he is my kid. What he is now...It is all because of Regina. The other reason I stayed here._

_A sharp pain rips through my heart and fills my eyes with tears. I lean forward hovering over our boy._

"I love you, Henry,"  _I utter between sobs as my tears fall on his face._

_My lips connect with his forehead and something amazing happens. It's like the beat from my heart causes a wave of powerful energy to explode from the red muscle spreading all around us. I gasp and pull back._

_Henry inhales deeply and his eyes shot open._

_He looks at me and says with a smile on his face,_  "I love you too. You saved me."

 _I chuckle and put my hand on his head_.

"You did it."  _Soft words come from behind me and I know it is Regina._

_I turn and see a huge smile on her face. I just broke her curse and she smiles. Why? She has just lost._

_Her eyes go back and forth between me and Henry. She wasn't talking about the curse. She was talking about me saving Henry. Well, that makes sense. She loves the kid._

_I look around and everyone looks like they have just been awakened. Like they were deeply asleep up until now. They smile and survey their surroundings. They are trying to figure out why they are here._

_My eyes fall on Regina again. She is looking straight at me with a question written all over her face._

"What is happening?"  _Henry's voice stops our staring contest._

_I snap back to the reality. My harsh and crushing reality. I'm in a town where according my son's book live all the characters. Like the Evil Queen is his adoptive mother, Snow White is mine...Wait. I...My mother is alive and I have met her. I have talked with her. I know her. I have parents here._

"The curse. I think you broke it,"  _Henry's cheering voice sounds from somewhere in the back of my mind._

_I survey the room taking in everyone's shocked faces. Except Dr. Whale's. He seems to know because he is looking at Regina with gloat flickering in his eyes._

_I turn to Regina for conformation and I get it. She nods at me and her eyes meet the floor. She stands in the middle of the room like she is punished. Her hands wrap around her body. She needs protection._

_Something inside of me warms at the sight. Something, my heart to be precise, twitches at the possibility of her being hurt. Why?_

"I..."  _the words die somewhere in the back of her throat. What she can possible say? Sorry for ripping you out of your parents. Sorry for being the reason you grew up alone._

_She knows that won't work._

"That is..."  _I start but her sister bursts in the room calling for her and wearing something that resembles a guitar case._

 _She stops suddenly taking a moment to realize what has happened_.

"If I were you, your Majesty, I'd find a place to hide."  _Dr. Whale says with a gloat in his voice._

 _Regina spins herself to face him._  "You...you have no right to talk to me."  _She advances on him with every step. She looks larger than life and possessed by invisible force. Her body is straightened, anger flashes through her eyes. Her steps are confident, her voice – deep throated promising danger._  "You have talked and done enough damage to me."

_The doctor looks at her stunned like he doesn't know what she is talking about. Reina stays close to the door while the two nurses leave quietly._

_Regina stops just a breath away from him._  "You think I don't know what you did in the tent with Daniel's body?"

_I swear his eyes are about to pop out. I'm sure mine too. I feel Henry grabbing my hand and squeezing it._

"Regina, now it not the time."  _Reina interrupts the tense moment._

"Mom,"  _Henry's voice is what makes the difference._

_Regina's features soften and she takes step back. There is that vulnerable woman I made out and had dinner with._

"Henry."  _Her voice is barely a whisper as she reaches out and grabs his free hand._  "No matter what they say I do love you."

"They? Who?"  _The kid asks._

"Now is not really the time for sentimentalities. We have some work to do."  _Reina stops the warm exchange between mother and son._

"What?"  _I ask sounding more tired that I was._

"We need to get to the magic before Rumplestiltskin,"  _she answers me._

"Who?"

"He is mister Gold, right?"  _Henry says proud that he can participate in the conversation with more than one word unlike me._

"Yes,"  _the brunette nods at the boy and turns to her sister._  "Is the library still locked?"

"It is. The keys are in my office. But without the sword..."

_Reina raises her hand to stop her sister from talking. Before everyone's dazzled looks she squats next to the case she entered with. She opens it and places it in front of us. There is a shiny sword lying on red velvet._

"I stole it from Rumple when Henry fainted. He can't get his hands on the portion. But now Emma needs to take the portion from Mal."

"Whoa. Hold up. Henry has just woken up from the..."  _I wave my hand as to explain the whatever he was under. Curse? Still feels strange on my lips._  "Can we talk about this?"

"No. Sorry but we don't have time."  _Reina almost barks at me._

"Reina, please."  _Regina walks over to her sister and mumbles something at her that I can hear._

_All I know is that Reina leaves the room._

"Can you leave us alone?"  _She turns to the doctor who is more than happy to leave this place._

_After few second we are finally alone. I let a deep sigh._

"So...Everything in the book was true?"  _Henry asks beaming_.

"Well not all of it. It's complicated."  _I sense that the admission is half-heartily._

"What is complicated?"  _I snap at her. I just can't help myself._  "Did you do all of these things or not?"

"Not all of them."

_Silence. Few beats later still silence. I have definitely not expected that answer._

"Reina did some of them."  _Finally she gives in the tension._

"Like that is making it all better."  _I fire at her although I know it will hurt her and judging by her face I did it._

_She shakes her head and rubs her temples._

"What was that portion your sister was talking about?"  _I change the subject and the tension goes away...sort of._

"True Love portion. If someone drops it in the Wishing Well near the city's outskirts magic will arrive in this world."  _Regina explains._

"And why you want to do it? Why you don't want R-Gold to do it?"

"Because whoever does it will have control over the city."

"Are you sure you don't want control over Storybrooke?"

"No. I wanted to come to a land without magic. I don't what magic."  _She admits without missing a beat leaving me dumbfound once again._

_What? If she is the Evil Queen from Henry's book she isn't supposed to act like that? Right? She has to want the win at any price. She is built for that. She has to want everything from everyone and if she can get it she will just kill. That's it. Simple as this. Or is it?_

_Because the Regina before me looks like beaten and defeated version of the Queen I saw in the book. A version tired of fighting._

"Okay. But we have to..."

_And in that moment Mary Margaret and David come into the room. God, can I have some piece any time soon?_

"Emma,"  _my roommate/mother launches at me wrapping her hands around my upper arms followed closely by David._

_Great. Sandwich hug. I hate them. I hate hugs when I try to get use to the idea that everyone here is character from a book._

"I can't breathe,"  _I say finally when the need for airs becomes a problem._

_They get the hint and release me. MM is looking at me with the biggest smile I have seen on her face and tears in her eyes. She is my mom, my mind says._

"So you..."  _I point at her._

"God. Yes, Emma. I am your mother and David is your father."

"But he is married to Kathryn,"  _I say and turn to Regina for help but she shakes her head negatively._

"That's Regina's fault."  _Mary Margaret hiss at the brunette._ "She made the curse's false identities."

"Actually it wasn't me."  _Regina says after a while._  "It was Reina. She created the curse."

"And that makes it so much better, doesn't it?"  _Mary says just like I did._

_It is all too much. My roommate/mother is arguing with the woman I feel a pull towards who happens to be the reason I grew up alone. I feel my head throbbing from all the questions I have in my mind and all the confused feeling dancing in my heart. I need to get out of here. The air is filled with tight tension and I need air or I'll explode._

"Stop. Both of you,"  _I yell startling everyone._  "Mary and David, can you watch Henry? I need to get something from someone called Mal,"  _I say as my eyes, quite on their own accord drift to Regina's again._

_David and Mary looks at me like I have three heads._

"We need to bring magic here before Rumplestiltskin does it."  _Regina helps me._

"We?"  _the short-haired woman wonders._

"Yes. Emma needs to get the magic portion from..."

"She doesn't need to do anything."  _David cuts in protectively and moves to stand between me and Regina._

_But I can't let him stand between us. My legs move on their own accord and I stand next to her._

"I'll help coz...I..."  _I look at Henry for a moment and he give me an encouraging smile._  "We need to protect Henry. Besides Regina and Reina could have gone and get it by herself. Instead they come here and ask me to help them. They clearly want to work with us not with Gold."

_That doesn't sound very logical to me but it's all I can think of now. It is not a good reason why I should do this. But for now it has to be enough for them._

"You really want to help her. After all she has done. Do you realize that she is the reason why we were separated from you? Do you realize that you have been alone all your life because of her?"  _Snow shoots a death glare at Regina who tries very hard to hold her head high._

_A sharp pain cuts through my heart at the exchange. This is so very wrong. Why I feel this way towards the woman who hurt me?_

"Of course I do."  _I admit. Taking a deep breath I continue._  "I want her to pay for what she has done to me, to you and to everyone else here but..."

"No. No, you can't talk like that. She is my mother."  _Henry yells drawing all the attention to him._

"Oh, really? Just an hour ago you were insisting that she is the Evil Queen and I need to stop her. Now you want to protect her?"

"I..."  _he lowers his head and plays with the blanket that still covers him._

"It doesn't work this way, kid. You can't have your mother into save and still insist that she has done bad things and deserves to be punished. It's either way. And right now I am working with her. You are staying here with..."  _I reach out to my parents._  "Snow and Charming."

_I chuckle when I pronounce the names. It feels weird and unbelievable._

"Emma, are you sure?"  _Snow asks me with a different tone that usually use. Is that the mother tone?_

_And again my eyes fall over Regina and the softness of her features melts my heart. Am I sure that I want this woman like no one before? Hell yeah. Am I sure that I should trust her? No, but my heart says I should. So I will do what I usually do. Follow my heart and the hell with consequences._

"Yes, I am." I nod and look over to Henry. "You are staying here with them. When we get back we'll talk more."

_I hug the boy and make room for Regina to do the same. She stands awkwardly next to me unsure whether she should go. Her eyes show fear of rejection. I know that look very well. I looked exactly the same way when I was in a new foster home._

_I nudge Henry in a secret way that no one can see and he invites her to hug him too by spreading his arms. She launches at him the same way Snow did to me just a while ago. Although Regina looks much more vulnerable and beautiful than Snow._

"We'll be back, Henry."  _The way she says 'we' gives me hope that her reactions to me weren't all a game for her. Maybe there is some truth behind those hazel eyes._


	9. Magic is here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dear readers! Are you still here? This chapter is in third POV because it didn't work in the others.

Utter bullshit. This is totally utter bullshit. She is dreaming. This is not real. Of course it's a dream. How this could be real? She is walking down the town's main street sandwiched between the Evil Queen from Snow White and her sister. Her twin sister. Since when she has a twin? Emma shakes her head. That is definitely a dream.

But that tweak on the bicep is real.

"Ouch. Why the fuck would you do that?" She looks over to Reina.

Thank God she is wearing a dress and Regina is with pants. It's easier for her to distinguish them. Although she doesn't have mixed feelings for Reina. She knows she hates her.

"You are not listening to what I am saying." The sister barks at Emma.

The blonde doesn't like her at all. Can she go somewhere else and stop bugging her?

"No. I'm not." She stops abruptly before the two women almost in the middle of the street. "Excuse me but I am still trying to wrap my mind around the ridiculous idea that you, "she points at Regina, "are  _the Evil Queen_  and you, " her eyes drift to her twin, "are her sister and my parents are Snow fucking White and her Prince. They put me in a magical wardrobe coz I'm the fucking Savior or some shit like that. I-I am a simple woman. I can't do... saving or taking a portion from a  _dragon_...Since when dragons even exist? It's all jungle in my head right now and I need time. I need time to breathe and process. I can't just be the person you expect me to be in a matter of two seconds. I need drink...or two...Better yet a whole stack of...whatever is strongest."

Somewhere along her rant she realizes she yells and waves her hands aimlessly around her like all the action could make this dream go away. But it doesn't. It is here and it's her reality.

"Are you done?" Regina catches her attention.

"I..." Emma knows she look like a lost puppy. She wants to scream and hit something. She wants to run. Yes, that is good idea.

"Emma," Regina's voice is soft like velvet and soothing. She looks at the blonde woman and she continues, "I know it's a bit, all too much for you or even impossible. I can't imagine what you are feeling. But  _please_ ," she reaches out to put the pale hands in her, to force the younger woman to look at her, but Emma retrieves them on time, avoiding the contact, "please for Henry's sake you have to pull yourself for a while. It won't take a while. Half an hour at the most. Because if Rumple get to the magic first...I have no idea what he would do."

"Probably he'll send everyone who is powerful here so they can rule the world." Reina says and part of it is true. But there is something else underneath her words. Hidden.

Emma gazes at Regina's features. What she said was all true. And it makes total sense...sort of.

"What would you do when magic is here?" The blonde has to ask that.

"I just don't want him to get it. I have no plans for it." Regina admits.

Reina on the other had is looking down at the asphalt.

"And you?"

Her eyes meet Emma's. It's empty in there. Not like Regina's sad eyes.

Reina debates for a moment her answer. Looking at her sister who has worry in her eyes she decides to speak the truth. Plus, there is the fact the apparently Ms. Swan over here is human lie detector of some sort. She called Reina's lies back at the mansion. It won't be a good idea to lie the one person who can take the portion.

"I will get my heart back."

"Your heart back?" Emma's eyebrows shoot up her forehead.

"Yes. It is in the vault in our crypt."

Emma takes a step back trying to accumulate the information. Her hand massages the back of her neck.

"Emma." Regina calls her and waits for green eyes to meet hers. It takes a moment or so for Emma to look up. "Using magic we can rip people's hearts out. It doesn't kill the person it just...we can control everyone this way."

The blonde's eyes are about to pop out.

"But," Reina pulls the attention on her, "our hearts," she motions between her and her sister, "they were trapped inside the curse. Like hostages if you like. They were the guarantee that the curse will be strong enough to exist until you are ready."

"Ready for what?"

"For breaking it. Just like you did in the hospital."

"I'm not fucking ready for anything. Didn't you listen to me at all? I..."

"I know you are not ready. I see it in your eyes and I am pretty sure if we had magic we could feel it also. But the thing is that I was destined to create the curse, Regina – to cast it and you – to break it. Like it or not that is written in the Book of Life once it's there then it is becoming reality. That's it. You have to deal with it."

"Hold on...Book of Life?" Things are getting even weirder for Emma. She takes a step back from the two women. Foolish attempt to protect herself. She expects everything from these two...women.

"Yes." Regina nods. "It's the book where everything that happens is already written."

"Already written like...Who writes it?"

"The Seers." Both sisters answer her like it's most common thing in the world.

"Um...Seers?"

"Yes. Everything is already written and it's inevitable." Reina explains further although her patience with Emma is wearing off.

"Hold up. Don't we have a say in this?" Emma asks with hope in her voice. She remembers that she chose to give Henry for adoption.

"We don't have a say in where we are going to end up. We can only choose the path."

All choice ripped from her. Emma looks down at her boot cladded feet. The path, forward or backwards, is her choice. But whatever she does or doesn't she is going to end up in the same place.

"So...me coming to Storybrooke have been already... _written_? No matter what I had or hadn't done...I would have come here  _anyway_?" Her voice is cracked. She blinks the tears away but the stubborn things just keep emerging. "Is giving Henry up written?"

"We have to go to the Seers' castle and open the Book of Life." Regina speaks sensing the woman's confusion. "But for that we need the magic you have to take from the dragon."

"Pfff...Yeah, great."

"Then let's get on with it." Regina says, her voice husky.

Right.  _Let's get on with it_ , Emma thinks. It is easy for her to say it. She is not force into this utter bullshit. She is not forced to fight a dragon. She is not force to believe that all her child fairy tales are actually true.

As the three women walk over to the library their thoughts are far away from what they are going to face.

Regina thinks about how all of this will affect her... _thing_  with Emma. How, when things calm down, the blonde will look at her? Will the attraction be there too? Will the feelings inside of them be strong enough to survive whatever is coming? Is Emma going to be okay with who she is? Ever? She did notice that Emma pulled away when she tried to touch her. And in that short time frame her heart clenched and she had the feeling that everything around her is starting to fall apart. She is sure that the feelings they have for each other are now... Gone? No. It can just disappear unless it is part of the curse. But she still feels the pull towards the blonde. The want that tear her insides since their kiss is here to stay.

Reina, on other hand, worries about how the town will react to the two of them. She and her sister are responsible for the Curse, killed thousands of people. And now everyone will remember that. Everyone will want their heads off. Death is coming upon them. That is if Regina doesn't get the Savior to be at their side. And right now, as she walks between the two women, watching them with her peripheral vision, she is positive that Emma is on their side. There is that... Reina can't quite place it. A bizarre feeling, sort of, that she can almost touch. Which speaks nothing to her. And that is another reason to bring magic here. She wants to know what that is.

Emma just stares at the road in front of her. She tries to accumulate the new information. That everything is already written and she is expected to go here and there. She doesn't have much of a choice. Like now. She has to take the portion from the dragon. She is told. She is been controlled. And one thing she is not fond of is to be controlled. She is just a pawn in a game she hasn't agree playing in. _Fuck_.

Immediately after they arrive in front of the library Reina pulls out a chain with skeleton keys hanging from it. She picks on of them and uses it to unlock the padlock of the rusty chain that is placed on the door. After opening it she gestures to Emma to get in first.

"After you," the blonde motions to Regina instead.

She nods and enters the library first followed by Emma and then her sister.

"What is this place?" Emma asks as she sees the thick layer of dust covering everything her eyes see. There are even spider web hanging from every possible surface.

"That is not good." Reina states looking at the elevator ahead which is supposed to lower them down.

"It's open so that means someone has already been here." Regina says, knowing very well what happened.

"Who?" Emma figures what is the purpose of the elevator but still wonders about the 'who' part.

"Gold," the twins growl the name in sync, startling the blonde a little.

Well, a lot actually. If she has to be honest with herself.

"So... what's the plan?" She asks quietly, happy that she won't fight a dragon today. The question is directed at Regina. It's not about her feelings towards that woman, she tells to herself, half believing her thoughts. It is because Reina feels off.

"I don't know." Regina admits without missing a beat. Her eyes focused on Emma's still deadpanned face.

She supposes that everything still feels unreal for the blonde. But what worries her more than the open elevator is when she will have the time to talk to her about  _them_. This is the more pressing matter for her because, in all honesty, she has a chance in happy ending and she will be fool to just watch it as it passes her.

"Oh my God," Reina screams drawing Emma and Regina's attention to herself breaking the spell they are under. She is standing just outside the library looking straight ahead at something. The wrinkled face suggests that it is not good at all.

The two women, still inside, rush to her and turn to where she is looking at.

"Oh, no," comes out of Regina's mouth.

Emma just freezes because there is purple cloud coming their way and about to swallow them if they don't move out of the way. It is consuming everything on its path. She doesn't know what this is but it's not good. It's bad.

"We are late. He beat us." Reina says with anger in her voice. But she can't help but smile at the sudden realization.

"Magic is coming." Regina whispers and looks at Emma whose eyes are about to pop out.

 _So is power_ , Reina thinks but decides not to share.

"Shouldn't we hide or something?" The blonde suggests.

"You can't hide from magic." Regina gulps.

"Very encouraging of you."

Soon enough, quicker than Emma is prepared for, the cloud is consuming them. All she sees for a moment is purple before she closes her eyes. A strange tingling sensation runs through her body. It starts from her heart and goes into her blood stream. It is not unpleasant. On the contrary. It is good. Pleasing. Almost like a lover's touch.

* * *

**Present day, Heaven**

"I'm against it. It's too early," the tall woman with short white hair rejects the preposition. She is standing next to the windows.

The Library is a big oval room with oval table in the middle. The light from the sun comes though floor-to-ceiling windows and eliminates every spot.

"I'm all for it." The dwarf woman shouts, her voice echoing throughout the Library. Despite her tiny body she is quite intimidating... Well, maybe that has something to do with the fact that she is standing on the table and looks downs throwing death glares.

"This way we will feel True Love in the making."

"We won't feel it because they haven't realized it. For you to feel it as if it is a matter they have to realize what is between them." The red-headed woman, sitting at one of the chairs around the round table in the middle of the Library and her bare feet are on the table, silences the other two. "True Love is  _more_  than just a feeling. It is  _more_  than an emotion. It is the realization that you and the person you love are a coin with two sides."

"Then why they are coming at all? We can bring only Reina then." The tall woman asks.

"They have to come here and they  _will_ ," the red-headed woman cuts her off by raising her hand. "They will bring Reina to do what  _she_ has to do. Then they will be free to leave whenever they want."

"They can't  _actually_  leave. They have to find a portal to do that," the tall woman moves forward until she is hovering over the red-headed. "I know what  _you_  are trying to do here."

She knows she isn't supposed to set against The Light Seer but still this way out of line.

"And what pre-tell is that?" The red-headed smirks unaffected by their closeness.

"You plan on telling Regina."

The silence that falls into the room is thicker than the magic that inhabits it.

The dwarf woman is looking between the other two bored with their constant race. Whose visions are more important? The Light Seers' future ones or the Grey Seer's present ones. She suspects she knows why Regina has to know.

"You are going to tell her about her mother's curse, aren't you?" She asks trying to ease the tension. Though it is not really a question. It's more of a tentatively statement.

"Yes."

"And would that accomplish?" The tall woman stands up and crosses her arms in front of her chest, while the red-headed remains still.

"That would keep them closer. Because when magic comes, the power that Emma has inside of her will need guidance. And who better than her True Love?"

"Wow. That's oddly romantic." The dwarf woman mocks. "Are you sure that Regina will agree?"

"She wants to if she wants her heart back."

"And Reina will have it when she repairs the lands?" The tall woman clarifies.

"Yes." The dwarf nods. "Reina's curse is what destroyed the lands and she has to fix it. Regina's enacting the curse is what caused Emma to be parentless and giving Henry away. She has to fix that."

"And why I am the only one that doesn't know about it?" The tall woman feels ignored.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" The dwarf slaps her forehead with her right palm. "Because I, as Black Seer, know about what _happened_. You as, Grey Seer, know what is happening  _now_. She, as Light Seer, knows what  _is going to_  happen."

Before anyone else could say anything the ground starts shaking and purple smoke slowly invades the room. It creeps slowly enveloping everything on its path in its embrace.

"They are here." The Light Seer smirks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More about the Seers in the next chapter through Emma, Regina and Reina's eyes. Each of them will have a scene with a one Seer. Tell me if you want to bring back the different POV.


	10. Assigments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The POVs are back. It just works better this way. First we have Emma's, then Reina's and then the most important, in my opinion, Regina's. They are separated by the lines.
> 
> Enjoy!

_I wake up with a start. There is a strange tingling sensation running through my whole body. I feel like I'm burning but not on fire. I'm scared of that thing inside of me._

_Looking around I see an ordinary room. I'm lying on large bed with a lot of pillows. The sheets are green with floral motifs. There is a little chair in front of the bed. I mean like a little, little chair. A tiny chair. One that I won't be able to use for sure. And there is table of the same size. There are windows and the light comes from the many candles scattered around the floor._

_My eyes dart to the door. I throw the sheets off of myself and get up slowly. Once my feet hit the ground the door flies open revealing a dwarf woman._

_She has a green pointy hat. Much like Peter Pan's, I notice. Blond curls are peaking out underneath it. Her warm blue eyes meet mine._

_"Hey, you are awake." A cheery voice reaches my ears. "Good. I brought lunch." She is caring a tray with all sorts of fruit and places it on the little table. "Help yourself."_

_I'm still standing at the edge of the bed and eyeing the dwarf suspiciously. I take in the rest of the woman. She is dressed in a green dress that reaches the floor and matches her hat. She is a chubby woman with a cherubic face._

_"Oh, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Verna. In Latin it means 'springtime' but we don't use that language as we used to so Verna is good." The tiny woman stands before me and offers her hand in greeting._

_I look down at her like she has three heads. The woman comes up knee high on me. Strange is understatement. Out of this world is more like it. I blink rapidly and shake my head but the woman is still there. Nevertheless I take the offered hand in mine._

_"I'm Emma Swan," I introduce myself._

_"Oh, I know who you are. You are True Love embodiment. You are the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming... Oh, I should stop at that." Verna puts a hand on her mouth._

_"I am what?" I insist._

_"Um... You are lie detector also so I should not lie to you."_

_"Yeah, that's why I suggest you start answering me. Where and why am I here?" I raise my voice demanding the truth. I went through few rough hours and I have every fucking right to be pissed. Because everyone seem to want me to do something. Regina wanted me to break the fucking curse. Then with her sister they both demanded from me to fight a dragon so they could get their fucking magic portion. And now this woman. Enough is enough._

_"You are in the Enchanted Forest. More precisely in the Seers's castle known as Heaven. This is a castle, high up in the mountain and can only be entered when one is called upon. We, I and the other Seers called upon you, Regina and Reina. I, as the Seer of the past will talk to you about the past. I know all that has happened." Verna explains. She is choses her words with caution mindful of my lie detector sense._

_"What about the past? And where is Regina?" I_ _don't know why but I feel worried about Regina. Because she is the only person I know, I tell myself._

_"She is with the Seer of the future. She is to gain knowledge of the future. To be warned about certain events that will occur in her life. She has to receive her assignment as well just like you."_

_I watch the woman closely and detect only truth. Though the words are vague and tell me shit, they are true._

_"I wanna go and see her." I leap from the bed and stride towards the door._

_But the dwarf woman does something weird and stands in front of me as much as her tiny height lets her. '"No. You can't go there."_

_I'm pretty sure that there is anger flashing in my eyes and judging by Verna's frightened face. I had just woken up in an unknown place, body containing something new, unfamiliar, and scary for me._

_"Get out of my way. I need to see her." I growl but her face falls as soon as I realize what I just said. Need? What the fuck?_

_Verna only smiles. I suspect she has planned this all along. Because there is something she is trying to hide from me._

_"No. I know that you feel this strong urge to protect Regina out of the sudden. I admit it is quite powerful and if you let it, it can consume you."_

_"What urge? I don't have anything like that towards her. I need to get out and..." I stop suddenly. My throat is dry, my heartbeat speeds up gradually and I can literally sense my blood boiling. Looking down at my finger tips I see them glowing with white light and that tingling sensation is running through my body again, stronger than ever._

_"Calm down, Emma." Verna reaches out carefully not to startle me._

_"What...the fuck... is this?" I manage to say between pants. There is also a weight on my heart like I'd just run four miles._

_"That is your magic."_

_"My what?" I ask, voiced laced with anger and confusion. I knit my brows._

_"You, being the Savior and so much more, have magic. And not just any kind of magic. You have True Love's magic which is the most powerful of all._

_"Move," I threaten her but her only response is to smile back at me._

_I think that there is no way out. The woman before me is determined to make me stay and talk to her._

_But this..._

_My body feels in a whole new way. Not painful. It's just so strange. It tingles in all the places. I feel hot. Like with high temperature. My head swims in something that is not nausea. Could this be my magic?_

_"If I sit down and listen to you will you take me to Regina?" My mouth is once again miles in front of my mind. When did I start caring about Regina so much? Sure I want that woman. The two heavy make out session we had engaged in were real but this... Now the desire for Regina is in a whole other dimension. If that's possible._

_"Yes." Verna confirms when I look at her. She stares at me. She is following every change on my face. She is studying me. Like I'm her test animal._

_"So...um... I will get knowledge of the past?" The answer I receive is a nod. "What's the point? I already know what happened in the past and I don't wanna go back there."_

_"It's not about what you want. It's about what needs to happen. Besides only through knowing the past you can be prepared for what is coming."_

_I walk back to the bed. I sit on the edge and wait for Verna to join me._

_"And what is coming?"_

_Verna's face lit up and her lips curl up. "Something very beautiful and tender. But in order to gain it you have to fight for it."_

_"I'm tired of fighting. I've been fighting all my life." I throw myself back on the bed. Gazing at the wooden ceiling above I wonder why I trust this woman so much. She hasn't lied to me. Not once. I remember that Regina hasn't lied to me since our first kiss. But can I trust her like this woman. Something deep inside of me screams 'Yes' but my mind stops it from emerging._

_I prop myself up on my elbows and see the room is filled with white fog._

_"Oh my God," Verna's shrieks._

_"What the fucking is that?" My eyes widen and around the room._

_It is so beautiful. It's not only the white fog anymore. There is also pink in the mix. At some parts of the room you can clearly see the white and the pink but in other parts it is gorgeous mixture of the two. There's something more intense about these parts than the rest. I'm strangely drawn to them._

_"That is your magic that has been awakened."_

_"It sounds like it's a dragon."_

_"In a way it is. You need to be trained properly so you can reach your full potential."_

_"Who is going to train me?"_

_"That's for the Seer of the future to know. I can only tell you things of the past."_

_"So I can understand what is coming my way." I conclude._

_"Precisely."_

_I chuckle at my success. I have finally understood...well, something. The tingling sensation refuses to go away. It runs through my body but it's not unpleasant. It's almost good._

_My stomach growls prompting me that it is time to eat. I walk over to the small table with Verna at my toes. We sit down and I take a banana._

_"What will you tell me?" I ask while peeling it._

_"I am going to tell you a story."_

_I take the first bite and murmur, "I'm all ears."_

_"Once upon a time the magic was called High Power because it was the greatest gift one could be born with. Learning magic without having it naturally was nearly impossible and there weren't many witches that were willing to teach." Verna stops her story when I grab a knife and start pealing grapefruit._

_I look at her not very intrigued by what I'm hearing._

_"And?"_

_"One of the witches that was born with the High Power decided she was not powerful enough. She wanted it all. She would not settle for anything less than the highest._ _But fate often has strange ways. She met powerful wizard who she fell in love with. He taught her more spells. But the hunger for power in her was stronger than anything. In her eyes the love she had in her heart prevented her from reaching her full potential. So she ripped her own heart out."_

_"That is the logical thing to do of course." I say sarcastically. So far I like the story. Though I suspect that this is more than just a story._

_Verna chuckles. "I suppose but it was terrible thing to do. That act caused a chain of ugly events. Because ripping the True Love she has stocked inside of her is considered sin among the witches' world."_

_"Maybe she got scared from the feelings. Maybe they were too much."_

_"True Love is the most powerful magic and feeling in the world. It consumes all of you. At some point there are only the feelings for this person."_

_I open my mouth to say something but my mind freezes the action. I put down the knife and the fruit._

_I feel the same way with Regina. These feelings I have are so consuming and suffocating. At some point it is only them. Like I can't think of anything but Regina. I can't feel anything but Regina. I can't feel the beer going down my esophagus. I can't feel my jeans tighten around my legs. I can't feel my own heartbeat. The only thing I can feel is Regina._

_Though now it's Regina and this new thing that is supposed to be my magic._

_"Well that explains why she did it." I voice my thoughts after a while. "Her heart wanted that man but her mind was power hungry. The mind took over. Maybe it was more appealing. Maybe the feelings she had for that man were too much for her to deal with. Maybe they scared her away and she took the easy way out."_

_Verna blinks rapidly almost not believing what she is hearing from me._

_"After that she was known as the Heartless witch." She continues. "Her betrayal to the witches put a curse upon her offspring. It was already known that she would give birth to twins. The twins did inherit the High Power. And for their mother's actions they were to create a new world born out of their combined power. They were given a chance to start over and not go down the path of their mother."_

_"They were given a second chance when it wasn't them who blew the first one. Why did the children need to pay for their parents' mistakes?" Anger rose within me again and that scared me._

_"It's the fate's way..."_

_"Well, it's fucked up." I interrupt her. "They had to go into another world and live with some shitty curse... What was their curse?"_

_"They don't have their hearts in them." Verna says slowly._

_"What?" I shriek. I remember that just few hours ago Reina had admitted to me that their hearts were trapped inside of the curse. Like hostages if you like, she said. "These twins...are Regina and Reina, aren't they?"_

_"Yes."_

_"And their mother is the Heartless witch?"_

_"Cora Mills took out her heart and brought the curse upon her daughters."_

_"Can they get their hearts back?"_

_"Yes, they can but we are steering away from our goal, Emma."_

_"What is it?"_

_"You need to see what Regina has been through."_

_"Why only Regina? I had to break Reina's curse didn't I?"_

_"Your role is so much more than just curse breaker."_

_"More?" I wonder. I stand up abruptly and start pacing around. My blood, calm until now, boils again and I swear I am about to explode any second now._

_"So much more."_

_"What do I have to do?"_

_"Find a way out of this land with only Regina by your side." She says, head held up high, like she is proud of what she has planned._

_I'm pretty sure I'm pawn in whatever plan she has in store for me and Regina. It sickens me but I sense I have no other choice._

_"Well, let's pack," I shrug hoping that she will let me see Regina, who might shed some light._

* * *

 

I wake up from the magic running through my body. God, it's been a while since I hadn't felt that good. I inhale and exhale deeply reveling in the sensation.

"So glad you are awake." A harsh voice startles me.

I jump into a sitting position and rub my eyes with the back of my hands. After that I open them slowly scanning my surroundings. I'm in a huge bed with white sheets. The material is nice but nothing impressive. The room is lit only by candles which means...

"I'm in Heaven?" I ask the rhetorical question.

"Yes and you need to start behaving properly." The Grey Seer says.

She's tall, dressed in a long grey robe that falls freely around her body and drags after her on the floor. Her black eyes shine like black diamonds against her white skin. She has this almost dead look.

"That's very welcoming of you."

"Reina..."

"Why am I here?" I slide off the bed and come face to face with the Seer.

"You are where you need to be." Her black eyes stare right back at me.

"I have my heart locked in a vault in Storybrooke. That's where I have to be."

"No." She shakes her head. "You are here because you have to fix the land your curse destroyed."

"I don't care about this land. I think I made it pretty clear when I created the curse."

"I know that. But you can't have your heart back yet."

My eyes widen.

"Yes, you can't have it not until you fix what you broke."

I shake my head at her statement. "So Cora does the most unspeakable thing and  _I_ have to fight for my heart. Don't you think it's a bit unfair?" I put my feet down on the marble floor and stare at them.

"It is. But life is..."

"Don't." I yell at her. I'm up on my feet, gazing at her eyes, challenging her. "I'm not some innocent maiden to throw this romantic crap at me. I know that life and fate is what  _you_  make it." I point her with my index finger. "There is no cosmic way or fate's wheel or all of that bullshit. It is you. The Seers and the Book of Life which you write."

All my life has been mapped out by them. Every little thing that has happened to me has been manipulated by them. They are going somewhere with all of that but I'm not sure where. Maybe Emma's lie detector could help.

"While all of that is known to be true you still have to do it." The Seer commands with her hands over her chest.

"I don't have a choice?"

"No. Your mother left you... without options."

"Sure, blame the dead."

"Who said she is dead?" Her eyebrow lifts. She is smug.

She knows I hate being left in the loop and uses such to taunt advantage.

"She is..." I gulp.

"Yes. But you need to focus on restoring all the land in our world. Then you'll get a ticket back to Storybrooke and your heart."

"What about Regina?"

"She is with the Seer of the future. She has different assignment than you."

* * *

 

I blink few times still thinking this is some kind of trap. My heart should have been unlocked when the curse broke. Because it was in the curse. They are holding them hostages... But the Seers don't have access to Storybrooke. Or do they?

My heart starts hammering against my chest as I open my eyes. Once the dizziness passes I lift myself to look around.

The room is dimly lit, curtains down, white satin sheets cover me.

"Hi," I hear from some dark corner of the room.

I know this hoarse voice. It's voice of the future.

My eyes wander around the space trying to find Elza.

"Nice welcome. Why I am dizzy?"

"Your magic is combined with someone else's now. It will pass once you get used to it." She finally emerges and I see her in all her glory. Her tall figure often intimidates everyone, but her soft features and her lopsided smile make her approachable to people around her. The red color of her hair shows just how passionate she is.

"With whom?" I sit on the bed inhaling deeply.

"Scratch that brain of yours, Regina."

"Reina..."

"No."

I look at her narrowing my eyes. Elza just smiles at me. If it's not Reina then it's...

"It can't be." I stubbornly refuse to accept it.

"Yes, it is and it will be."

I get up from the bed and my magic is like a child finally set free. It fills the room and I have no control over it. It's not like it's going to do destroy something. It's just... It's like it's alive and wants to be out of me.

"Since when can my magic just be in a room?" I ask, looking directly at Elza's blue eyes.

"Your magic is High Power..."

"I know I'm born with it." I cut the Seer off. "I have accepted it."

"Your magic is High Power and thus needing its other half for balance." She explains further. "The whole nature is created out of balance. And since High Power is natural it does too."

"So you are saying that my magic was considered evil because it was missing it's other half?" I raise my eyebrow.

"Indeed. And now the time for the two pieces of the puzzle to be united has come. Your magic will be even more powerful now that has it's half by its side."

"Why Emma?"

"Because she is your other half."

I swallow hard trying to assimilate what she has just told me. And suddenly it all makes sense. There was something different in the air since the moment I laid my eyes on her. All I wanted was for her to get the hell out of my life but something deep inside of me wanted her fire. Wanted  _her_. I couldn't name it but there was something in her that had always drew me to her. At first I thought it was all about the way she stood up in front to me, challenging me, never giving up. But after the first kiss we shared I realized how much of a fool I was. It wasn't that. After the kiss I realized I had feelings for her.

And now... I know I was right. I have fallen in love with her. Somewhere between the punches, between the harsh words, between the arguments. Somewhere in the middle of all that, my love for her had bloomed and I didn't even notice. But how could I? I was too busy eyeing her figure to notice the butterflies in my stomach.

I look up and Elza is smiling back at me. It's almost like she knows what I am thinking about.

"Now you have to use that love and help her." She says nonchalantly. Like I haven't just realized something so substantial. Like it is something so easily done.

"With what?" I spat.

"With magic and with this love you two have." Elza starts pacing back and forth which means she is going to talk... a lot. "This love, containing High Power in itself, is far more dangerous and addictive than you think. That is why we let Reina lure you into the darkness. So now, when you have been through so much, you can guide Emma and not let her go down the path you had ventured."

"You are saying..."

"Yes." She stops right in front of me and looks down at me. "You have to make her love you. Because right now the magic is taking over her. She won't be able to tell apart the magic from the love. It is all new and tingling for her. That's where you come in."

"That's cruel. I..." The words die in my throat. I cannot fathom why I have to fight for my love again. My eyes water and I glare her. "Why must I have to... why can't she just love me?"

"That's not how it works."

"No! That's just not how you planned it." I cry out with my bottom lip quivering. "There is no fate or destiny and we both know it. It is you and the other Seers that write in the Book of Life what will happen. You plan and scheme because you think it's the right way. But really there is only your way."

"Regina, don't. You know that this is the curse your mother put upon you. To never have love given to you. To always fight. I only made sure it will happen."

"So what? I just have to make her love me? That's it? It is that simple?"

"You have to make her  _see_  it. She already loves you. I've made sure that you will stay away from everyone else. You two will be alone for a while."

I close my eyes and take deep breath calming my heart. I see Emma giving me death glares like the ones I love to give her. My own vision startles me and I jump off the bed.

"You and her will leave Heaven and walk around the land until you find a way out of here."

I hear Elza talking somewhere behind me. My mind is too busy reading into my vision to let her words sink in.

"My visions are back." I state ignoring her words.

She looks down at the floor and says "You have always had visions about the future. And now that your magic is back, so are they."

"So what I am seeing is true?" Regina asks fondly.

"You know that vision can be read in so many different ways." Elza says softly. "It is what you want it to be. We have the tendency to interpret them the way we think our future will happen."

"But my visions have always turned out to be exactly the way I read them."

"That is because you have a gift to read them."

I tilt my head to the right and my gaze falls on the door. Now that silence has engulfed the room I want a way out of here. And it's not just  _out_ , it's where  _Emma_  is. Now that some of the things were said to me I can sense the connections between me and her even stronger. It is the same pull I felt to her in Storybrooke but only much more powerful and magical.

"Where is Emma?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The POVs are back. It just works better this way. First we have Emma's, then Reina's and then the most important, in my opinion, Regina's. They are separated by the lines.
> 
> Enjoy!

_I wake up with a start. There is a strange tingling sensation running through my whole body. I feel like I'm burning but not on fire. I'm scared of that thing inside of me._

_Looking around I see an ordinary room. I'm lying on large bed with a lot of pillows. The sheets are green with floral motifs. There is a little chair in front of the bed. I mean like a little, little chair. A tiny chair. One that I won't be able to use for sure. And there is table of the same size. There are windows and the light comes from the many candles scattered around the floor._

_My eyes dart to the door. I throw the sheets off of myself and get up slowly. Once my feet hit the ground the door flies open revealing a dwarf woman._

_She has a green pointy hat. Much like Peter Pan's, I notice. Blond curls are peaking out underneath it. Her warm blue eyes meet mine._

_"Hey, you are awake." A cheery voice reaches my ears. "Good. I brought lunch." She is caring a tray with all sorts of fruit and places it on the little table. "Help yourself."_

_I'm still standing at the edge of the bed and eyeing the dwarf suspiciously. I take in the rest of the woman. She is dressed in a green dress that reaches the floor and matches her hat. She is a chubby woman with a cherubic face._

_"Oh, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Verna. In Latin it means 'springtime' but we don't use that language as we used to so Verna is good." The tiny woman stands before me and offers her hand in greeting._

_I look down at her like she has three heads. The woman comes up knee high on me. Strange is understatement. Out of this world is more like it. I blink rapidly and shake my head but the woman is still there. Nevertheless I take the offered hand in mine._

_"I'm Emma Swan," I introduce myself._

_"Oh, I know who you are. You are True Love embodiment. You are the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming... Oh, I should stop at that." Verna puts a hand on her mouth._

_"I am what?" I insist._

_"Um... You are lie detector also so I should not lie to you."_

_"Yeah, that's why I suggest you start answering me. Where and why am I here?" I raise my voice demanding the truth. I went through few rough hours and I have every fucking right to be pissed. Because everyone seem to want me to do something. Regina wanted me to break the fucking curse. Then with her sister they both demanded from me to fight a dragon so they could get their fucking magic portion. And now this woman. Enough is enough._

_"You are in the Enchanted Forest. More precisely in the Seers's castle known as Heaven. This is a castle, high up in the mountain and can only be entered when one is called upon. We, I and the other Seers called upon you, Regina and Reina. I, as the Seer of the past will talk to you about the past. I know all that has happened." Verna explains. She is choses her words with caution mindful of my lie detector sense._

_"What about the past? And where is Regina?" I_ _don't know why but I feel worried about Regina. Because she is the only person I know, I tell myself._

_"She is with the Seer of the future. She is to gain knowledge of the future. To be warned about certain events that will occur in her life. She has to receive her assignment as well just like you."_

_I watch the woman closely and detect only truth. Though the words are vague and tell me shit, they are true._

_"I wanna go and see her." I leap from the bed and stride towards the door._

_But the dwarf woman does something weird and stands in front of me as much as her tiny height lets her. '"No. You can't go there."_

_I'm pretty sure that there is anger flashing in my eyes and judging by Verna's frightened face. I had just woken up in an unknown place, body containing something new, unfamiliar, and scary for me._

_"Get out of my way. I need to see her." I growl but her face falls as soon as I realize what I just said. Need? What the fuck?_

_Verna only smiles. I suspect she has planned this all along. Because there is something she is trying to hide from me._

_"No. I know that you feel this strong urge to protect Regina out of the sudden. I admit it is quite powerful and if you let it, it can consume you."_

_"What urge? I don't have anything like that towards her. I need to get out and..." I stop suddenly. My throat is dry, my heartbeat speeds up gradually and I can literally sense my blood boiling. Looking down at my finger tips I see them glowing with white light and that tingling sensation is running through my body again, stronger than ever._

_"Calm down, Emma." Verna reaches out carefully not to startle me._

_"What...the fuck... is this?" I manage to say between pants. There is also a weight on my heart like I'd just run four miles._

_"That is your magic."_

_"My what?" I ask, voiced laced with anger and confusion. I knit my brows._

_"You, being the Savior and so much more, have magic. And not just any kind of magic. You have True Love's magic which is the most powerful of all._

_"Move," I threaten her but her only response is to smile back at me._

_I think that there is no way out. The woman before me is determined to make me stay and talk to her._

_But this..._

_My body feels in a whole new way. Not painful. It's just so strange. It tingles in all the places. I feel hot. Like with high temperature. My head swims in something that is not nausea. Could this be my magic?_

_"If I sit down and listen to you will you take me to Regina?" My mouth is once again miles in front of my mind. When did I start caring about Regina so much? Sure I want that woman. The two heavy make out session we had engaged in were real but this... Now the desire for Regina is in a whole other dimension. If that's possible._

_"Yes." Verna confirms when I look at her. She stares at me. She is following every change on my face. She is studying me. Like I'm her test animal._

_"So...um... I will get knowledge of the past?" The answer I receive is a nod. "What's the point? I already know what happened in the past and I don't wanna go back there."_

_"It's not about what you want. It's about what needs to happen. Besides only through knowing the past you can be prepared for what is coming."_

_I walk back to the bed. I sit on the edge and wait for Verna to join me._

_"And what is coming?"_

_Verna's face lit up and her lips curl up. "Something very beautiful and tender. But in order to gain it you have to fight for it."_

_"I'm tired of fighting. I've been fighting all my life." I throw myself back on the bed. Gazing at the wooden ceiling above I wonder why I trust this woman so much. She hasn't lied to me. Not once. I remember that Regina hasn't lied to me since our first kiss. But can I trust her like this woman. Something deep inside of me screams 'Yes' but my mind stops it from emerging._

_I prop myself up on my elbows and see the room is filled with white fog._

_"Oh my God," Verna's shrieks._

_"What the fucking is that?" My eyes widen and around the room._

_It is so beautiful. It's not only the white fog anymore. There is also pink in the mix. At some parts of the room you can clearly see the white and the pink but in other parts it is gorgeous mixture of the two. There's something more intense about these parts than the rest. I'm strangely drawn to them._

_"That is your magic that has been awakened."_

_"It sounds like it's a dragon."_

_"In a way it is. You need to be trained properly so you can reach your full potential."_

_"Who is going to train me?"_

_"That's for the Seer of the future to know. I can only tell you things of the past."_

_"So I can understand what is coming my way." I conclude._

_"Precisely."_

_I chuckle at my success. I have finally understood...well, something. The tingling sensation refuses to go away. It runs through my body but it's not unpleasant. It's almost good._

_My stomach growls prompting me that it is time to eat. I walk over to the small table with Verna at my toes. We sit down and I take a banana._

_"What will you tell me?" I ask while peeling it._

_"I am going to tell you a story."_

_I take the first bite and murmur, "I'm all ears."_

_"Once upon a time the magic was called High Power because it was the greatest gift one could be born with. Learning magic without having it naturally was nearly impossible and there weren't many witches that were willing to teach." Verna stops her story when I grab a knife and start pealing grapefruit._

_I look at her not very intrigued by what I'm hearing._

_"And?"_

_"One of the witches that was born with the High Power decided she was not powerful enough. She wanted it all. She would not settle for anything less than the highest._ _But fate often has strange ways. She met powerful wizard who she fell in love with. He taught her more spells. But the hunger for power in her was stronger than anything. In her eyes the love she had in her heart prevented her from reaching her full potential. So she ripped her own heart out."_

_"That is the logical thing to do of course." I say sarcastically. So far I like the story. Though I suspect that this is more than just a story._

_Verna chuckles. "I suppose but it was terrible thing to do. That act caused a chain of ugly events. Because ripping the True Love she has stocked inside of her is considered sin among the witches' world."_

_"Maybe she got scared from the feelings. Maybe they were too much."_

_"True Love is the most powerful magic and feeling in the world. It consumes all of you. At some point there are only the feelings for this person."_

_I open my mouth to say something but my mind freezes the action. I put down the knife and the fruit._

_I feel the same way with Regina. These feelings I have are so consuming and suffocating. At some point it is only them. Like I can't think of anything but Regina. I can't feel anything but Regina. I can't feel the beer going down my esophagus. I can't feel my jeans tighten around my legs. I can't feel my own heartbeat. The only thing I can feel is Regina._

_Though now it's Regina and this new thing that is supposed to be my magic._

_"Well that explains why she did it." I voice my thoughts after a while. "Her heart wanted that man but her mind was power hungry. The mind took over. Maybe it was more appealing. Maybe the feelings she had for that man were too much for her to deal with. Maybe they scared her away and she took the easy way out."_

_Verna blinks rapidly almost not believing what she is hearing from me._

_"After that she was known as the Heartless witch." She continues. "Her betrayal to the witches put a curse upon her offspring. It was already known that she would give birth to twins. The twins did inherit the High Power. And for their mother's actions they were to create a new world born out of their combined power. They were given a chance to start over and not go down the path of their mother."_

_"They were given a second chance when it wasn't them who blew the first one. Why did the children need to pay for their parents' mistakes?" Anger rose within me again and that scared me._

_"It's the fate's way..."_

_"Well, it's fucked up." I interrupt her. "They had to go into another world and live with some shitty curse... What was their curse?"_

_"They don't have their hearts in them." Verna says slowly._

_"What?" I shriek. I remember that just few hours ago Reina had admitted to me that their hearts were trapped inside of the curse. Like hostages if you like, she said. "These twins...are Regina and Reina, aren't they?"_

_"Yes."_

_"And their mother is the Heartless witch?"_

_"Cora Mills took out her heart and brought the curse upon her daughters."_

_"Can they get their hearts back?"_

_"Yes, they can but we are steering away from our goal, Emma."_

_"What is it?"_

_"You need to see what Regina has been through."_

_"Why only Regina? I had to break Reina's curse didn't I?"_

_"Your role is so much more than just curse breaker."_

_"More?" I wonder. I stand up abruptly and start pacing around. My blood, calm until now, boils again and I swear I am about to explode any second now._

_"So much more."_

_"What do I have to do?"_

_"Find a way out of this land with only Regina by your side." She says, head held up high, like she is proud of what she has planned._

_I'm pretty sure I'm pawn in whatever plan she has in store for me and Regina. It sickens me but I sense I have no other choice._

_"Well, let's pack," I shrug hoping that she will let me see Regina, who might shed some light._

* * *

I wake up from the magic running through my body. God, it's been a while since I hadn't felt that good. I inhale and exhale deeply reveling in the sensation.

"So glad you are awake." A harsh voice startles me.

I jump into a sitting position and rub my eyes with the back of my hands. After that I open them slowly scanning my surroundings. I'm in a huge bed with white sheets. The material is nice but nothing impressive. The room is lit only by candles which means...

"I'm in Heaven?" I ask the rhetorical question.

"Yes and you need to start behaving properly." The Grey Seer says.

She's tall, dressed in a long grey robe that falls freely around her body and drags after her on the floor. Her black eyes shine like black diamonds against her white skin. She has this almost dead look.

"That's very welcoming of you."

"Reina..."

"Why am I here?" I slide off the bed and come face to face with the Seer.

"You are where you need to be." Her black eyes stare right back at me.

"I have my heart locked in a vault in Storybrooke. That's where I have to be."

"No." She shakes her head. "You are here because you have to fix the land your curse destroyed."

"I don't care about this land. I think I made it pretty clear when I created the curse."

"I know that. But you can't have your heart back yet."

My eyes widen.

"Yes, you can't have it not until you fix what you broke."

I shake my head at her statement. "So Cora does the most unspeakable thing and  _I_ have to fight for my heart. Don't you think it's a bit unfair?" I put my feet down on the marble floor and stare at them.

"It is. But life is..."

"Don't." I yell at her. I'm up on my feet, gazing at her eyes, challenging her. "I'm not some innocent maiden to throw this romantic crap at me. I know that life and fate is what  _you_  make it." I point her with my index finger. "There is no cosmic way or fate's wheel or all of that bullshit. It is you. The Seers and the Book of Life which you write."

All my life has been mapped out by them. Every little thing that has happened to me has been manipulated by them. They are going somewhere with all of that but I'm not sure where. Maybe Emma's lie detector could help.

"While all of that is known to be true you still have to do it." The Seer commands with her hands over her chest.

"I don't have a choice?"

"No. Your mother left you... without options."

"Sure, blame the dead."

"Who said she is dead?" Her eyebrow lifts. She is smug.

She knows I hate being left in the loop and uses such to taunt advantage.

"She is..." I gulp.

"Yes. But you need to focus on restoring all the land in our world. Then you'll get a ticket back to Storybrooke and your heart."

"What about Regina?"

"She is with the Seer of the future. She has different assignment than you."

* * *

I blink few times still thinking this is some kind of trap. My heart should have been unlocked when the curse broke. Because it was in the curse. They are holding them hostages... But the Seers don't have access to Storybrooke. Or do they?

My heart starts hammering against my chest as I open my eyes. Once the dizziness passes I lift myself to look around.

The room is dimly lit, curtains down, white satin sheets cover me.

"Hi," I hear from some dark corner of the room.

I know this hoarse voice. It's voice of the future.

My eyes wander around the space trying to find Elza.

"Nice welcome. Why I am dizzy?"

"Your magic is combined with someone else's now. It will pass once you get used to it." She finally emerges and I see her in all her glory. Her tall figure often intimidates everyone, but her soft features and her lopsided smile make her approachable to people around her. The red color of her hair shows just how passionate she is.

"With whom?" I sit on the bed inhaling deeply.

"Scratch that brain of yours, Regina."

"Reina..."

"No."

I look at her narrowing my eyes. Elza just smiles at me. If it's not Reina then it's...

"It can't be." I stubbornly refuse to accept it.

"Yes, it is and it will be."

I get up from the bed and my magic is like a child finally set free. It fills the room and I have no control over it. It's not like it's going to do destroy something. It's just... It's like it's alive and wants to be out of me.

"Since when can my magic just be in a room?" I ask, looking directly at Elza's blue eyes.

"Your magic is High Power..."

"I know I'm born with it." I cut the Seer off. "I have accepted it."

"Your magic is High Power and thus needing its other half for balance." She explains further. "The whole nature is created out of balance. And since High Power is natural it does too."

"So you are saying that my magic was considered evil because it was missing it's other half?" I raise my eyebrow.

"Indeed. And now the time for the two pieces of the puzzle to be united has come. Your magic will be even more powerful now that has it's half by its side."

"Why Emma?"

"Because she is your other half."

I swallow hard trying to assimilate what she has just told me. And suddenly it all makes sense. There was something different in the air since the moment I laid my eyes on her. All I wanted was for her to get the hell out of my life but something deep inside of me wanted her fire. Wanted  _her_. I couldn't name it but there was something in her that had always drew me to her. At first I thought it was all about the way she stood up in front to me, challenging me, never giving up. But after the first kiss we shared I realized how much of a fool I was. It wasn't that. After the kiss I realized I had feelings for her.

And now... I know I was right. I have fallen in love with her. Somewhere between the punches, between the harsh words, between the arguments. Somewhere in the middle of all that, my love for her had bloomed and I didn't even notice. But how could I? I was too busy eyeing her figure to notice the butterflies in my stomach.

I look up and Elza is smiling back at me. It's almost like she knows what I am thinking about.

"Now you have to use that love and help her." She says nonchalantly. Like I haven't just realized something so substantial. Like it is something so easily done.

"With what?" I spat.

"With magic and with this love you two have." Elza starts pacing back and forth which means she is going to talk... a lot. "This love, containing High Power in itself, is far more dangerous and addictive than you think. That is why we let Reina lure you into the darkness. So now, when you have been through so much, you can guide Emma and not let her go down the path you had ventured."

"You are saying..."

"Yes." She stops right in front of me and looks down at me. "You have to make her love you. Because right now the magic is taking over her. She won't be able to tell apart the magic from the love. It is all new and tingling for her. That's where you come in."

"That's cruel. I..." The words die in my throat. I cannot fathom why I have to fight for my love again. My eyes water and I glare her. "Why must I have to... why can't she just love me?"

"That's not how it works."

"No! That's just not how you planned it." I cry out with my bottom lip quivering. "There is no fate or destiny and we both know it. It is you and the other Seers that write in the Book of Life what will happen. You plan and scheme because you think it's the right way. But really there is only your way."

"Regina, don't. You know that this is the curse your mother put upon you. To never have love given to you. To always fight. I only made sure it will happen."

"So what? I just have to make her love me? That's it? It is that simple?"

"You have to make her  _see_  it. She already loves you. I've made sure that you will stay away from everyone else. You two will be alone for a while."

I close my eyes and take deep breath calming my heart. I see Emma giving me death glares like the ones I love to give her. My own vision startles me and I jump off the bed.

"You and her will leave Heaven and walk around the land until you find a way out of here."

I hear Elza talking somewhere behind me. My mind is too busy reading into my vision to let her words sink in.

"My visions are back." I state ignoring her words.

She looks down at the floor and says "You have always had visions about the future. And now that your magic is back, so are they."

"So what I am seeing is true?" Regina asks fondly.

"You know that vision can be read in so many different ways." Elza says softly. "It is what you want it to be. We have the tendency to interpret them the way we think our future will happen."

"But my visions have always turned out to be exactly the way I read them."

"That is because you have a gift to read them."

I tilt my head to the right and my gaze falls on the door. Now that silence has engulfed the room I want a way out of here. And it's not just  _out_ , it's where  _Emma_  is. Now that some of the things were said to me I can sense the connections between me and her even stronger. It is the same pull I felt to her in Storybrooke but only much more powerful and magical.

"Where is Emma?"


End file.
